President Volodymyr Zelensky held a strategic meeting on the development of short-range anti-drone air defense systems, resulting in an agreement to establish a separate command within the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
The Head of State announced the decision on January 30.
State leadership and military officials approved the structure of the new command, which will be exclusively responsible for this defense sector, along with new approaches to force management. Zelensky outlined three key tasks for the Ministry of Defense and Air Force teams.
The first priority is the urgent reinforcement of defenses against Russian drones in Kherson, Nikopol, and the border communities of the Sumy region.
"Russians have effectively organized a constant 'safari' against people. Every day, they strike residential buildings, ordinary infrastructure, and civilian transport. We need more protection and more counter-actions," the President emphasized.
The second task involves scaling up countermeasures against "Shaheds" and other Russian attack drones. Plans include deploying additional defensive lines and barriers. The third point calls for systemizing and disseminating the successful combat experience of individual units across all Defense Forces of Ukraine.