Zelenskyy approves new long-range strikes on Russia

Long-range strikes authorized

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced Saturday he had approved new long-range strikes against Russia in response to recent attacks on his country, stating the decision followed consultations with Defense Minister Yevhenii Khmara and Commander-in-Chief Mykhailo Drapatyi. "I also approved new long-range operations in response to Russian strikes. We are preparing to expand our long-range capabilities," Zelenskyy said in a statement published on social media platform X, adding that his government continues to develop extended-range weapons systems.

Command reforms and recruitment

During the same meeting, Zelenskyy said decisions are being prepared to update management approaches within Ukraine’s Medical Forces Command following recent leadership changes, emphasizing the need to replicate successful practices across combat units. "The key priority is to scale up as widely as possible the successful practices already being used in combat brigades and by effective brigade patronage services. Scaling up the successful experience of the Defense Forces is a priority for commanders at every level," he stated, noting that officials also discussed revising regulatory frameworks for recruiting foreign volunteers to serve in Ukrainian military units.

Drone defense developments

Zelenskyy highlighted that Ukrainian forces have developed several effective methods to shoot down Russian jet-powered drones that have proven successful in real-world operations, with efforts underway to deploy these systems more widely and increase their production. Ukrainian Security Service chief Oleksandr Poklad reported "good" results from military counterintelligence operations against such drone threats, Zelenskyy noted, confirming that a new interceptor drone has already entered active service. "A new interceptor drone has been developed and has already been successfully deployed. Step by step, we are moving forward to give Ukraine greater protection. I thank all the developers and manufacturers who work every day to scale up the weapons we need," the president said.

Recent escalation

The announcements come as Russia and Ukraine have intensified strikes against each other's logistics centers, ports, and energy infrastructure in recent months. Both sides deny deliberately targeting civilian facilities, maintaining that their attacks are directed exclusively at military targets or infrastructure linked to military activities.