Zelenskyy announces new air defense steps after large-scale Russian attacks

"Ternopil, Zhytomyr, Rivne region, Trostianets in the Vinnytsia region, other regions and communities — we are strengthening all areas of defense. Decisions have already been made for Dnipro. The military command and the Ministry of Defense analyze every attack and propose solutions. For Dnipro, there will be additional radars, electronic warfare systems, and extra crews," he said.

The President noted that there are also decisions regarding Odesa. According to him, the interception rate there is higher, but "it needs to be even higher."

Zelenskyy added that Russian forces are trying to bypass Ukraine’s air defenses through the scale and intensity of the attacks.

"Further strengthening is needed for our cities and villages. It is important that we work with partners every day to secure air defense components against missiles. In April, we ensured the necessary supplies, and there were also new contributions to the PURL program. The task for May is the same," he stressed.

The President said that since morning, the enemy has attacked Ukraine with more than 400 drones, over 200 of them Shaheds. He added that 388 Russian UAVs were shot down.

Earlier, Zelenskyy reported that Ukrainian air defenses intercept more than 90% of enemy drones, but the direction of defense against ballistic missiles requires additional reinforcement.

The operational deployment of the latest Terra A1 interceptor drones has officially begun in Ukraine. They are designed to counter enemy kamikaze drones such as Shaheds.

In addition, Yurii Ihnat, head of communications for the Ukrainian Air Force, said that Ukraine’s Patriot systems are facing a serious shortage of missiles. According to him, despite the effective use of the systems, interceptor stocks remain limited.