Zelenskyy announces strengthening of air defense for Dnipro, Odesa

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has commented on the daytime massive drone attack on Ukraine and announced the strengthening of air defense for, in particular, Dnipro and Odesa.

"Today, during the day, there was another massive attack by Russian drones – a significant number, more than 400 drones since morning alone, of which more than 200 were Shahed ones. The density of the attack was high, and precisely because of this, although the interception rate was high – 388 drones were shot down – there were still hits. Ternopil, Zhytomyr, Rivne region, Trostianets in Vinnytsia region, other regions and communities," the president said in his evening video address.

Zelenskyy said the military command and the Defense Ministry analyze each attack and propose solutions to strengthen air defense.

"There is already a decision on Dnipro – the military command and the Defense Ministry analyze every attack and propose solutions. For Dnipro, there will be additional radars, EW systems and additional crews. There is also a decision on Odesa – there is already a higher interception rate there as well, and it needs to be even higher. We are aware that the Russians are trying to bypass our air defense through the density of attacks and the intensity of strikes. We will counter this," the president said.

The head of state also emphasized the importance of strengthening the anti-missile component.

"Every day, we work with partners to ensure air defense components against missiles. In April, we secured the necessary supplies, and there were also new contributions to the PURL program. For May, the task is similar, and we will continue to look for opportunities for Ukraine, to strengthen our defense also through cooperation with countries with which there had previously been less cooperation. We are bringing Ukrainian expertise in protection to the global level. Every Ukrainian company, all our manufacturers, developers, and the experience of our military in defense are a major Ukrainian asset. This strength must only grow stronger, and I am grateful to everyone who is genuinely helping with this," Zelenskyy said.