Zelenskyy Calls for More Drone Interceptors

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Kyiv would increase efforts to defend against Russian airstrikes and expand long-range drone operations against Russian targets. In an address published Aug. 28, he said Ukraine’s military was focusing on countering jet-powered Shahed drones, which he claimed were penetrating air defenses during repeated attacks on Kyiv and other regions.

Zelenskyy said Ukraine currently conducts more than 300 long-range strikes or operations each day but aims to raise that figure to 1,000. He also called for faster production of interceptor drones designed to counter jet-powered Shaheds, citing attacks and damage reported in Kyiv, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Sumy, Chernihiv, Dnipro and Kherson.

The president said Ukrainian military officials had reported disruptions to maritime activity at the Russian port of Novorossiysk, claiming that vessels were no longer entering or leaving the port. He said Kyiv would seek to restrict activity at other Russian ports, describing the measures as a response to Russia’s continued invasion.

Zelenskyy also said Ukrainian and U.S. officials had exchanged information following meetings in Moscow and praised what he called Washington’s realistic approach to ending the war. He added that Prime Minister Koretskyi would oversee efforts to secure partner funding for defense procurement, supplies to the front and air-defense needs, with progress reports expected every two weeks.