Zelenskyy moves to speed interceptor production against jet-powered drones

President Zelenskyy convened his military Staff to accelerate production of high-speed interceptor drones aimed at countering Russia's jet-powered Shahed attack drones, according to his own Telegram announcement. He said Ukrainian manufacturers already have prototypes and are working to bring them to full effectiveness within set deadlines.

The push follows a reported drop in Ukraine's Shahed shootdown rate from 90% to 76%, as Russia shifted to jet-powered drones capable of 300-450 km/h versus 180 km/h for older models. Air Force officials say Russia used five times as many jet-powered drones in July as in June.

Zelenskyy also flagged unspecified 'asymmetric' operations already approved to counter the threat, and said the Staff discussed drawing private businesses into producing and configuring air defense systems, with deadlines set for that effort too.

The full dispatch is available from the source below.