Zelenskyy identifies cities where drone protection will be strengthened
Photo: President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy (Office of the President of Ukraine)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has ordered a strengthening of anti-drone defenses in frontline cities to prevent Russian forces from carrying out a drone "safari" against civilians, according to Zelenskyy’s post.
Zelenskyy announced a significant boost to the "short-range counter-drone air defense." A new command structure has been approved to oversee this direction, with several key objectives defined.
The main goal is to enhance protection against Russian drones in Kherson, Nikopol, and the border communities of the Sumy region, where Russian forces have conducted persistent "safari" against civilians.
"Every day, they strike residential buildings, ordinary infrastructure, and civilian transport. We need stronger protection and stronger action in response," the President said.
The second goal is to scale up countermeasures against Shahed and other strike drones. More lines of defense and protection will be established.
The third task, Zelenskyy told air defense and Air Force command, is to share the experience of successful units across the Armed Forces.
"We need to expand the experience of successful units across the Defense Forces of Ukraine, so that every solution that has proven effective for one unit can be successfully applied by other Ukrainian units," the President said.
Recently, Colonel Yevhenii Khlebnikov was appointed commander of the short-range air defense direction. He will work under the supervision of Deputy Air Force Commander Pavlo Yelizarov ("Lazar"), whose appointment Zelenskyy approved on January 19.
These personnel appointments are part of the creation of an anti-drone dome over Ukraine. According to Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, it is necessary to destroy Russian drones before they reach their targets. Work in this area is already underway.
