Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov said Ukraine is transforming its short-range air defense system and implementing new кадрові appointments to improve protection of the country’s airspace. He said the changes are a response to Russia’s constant adaptation of drone attacks.
Mykhailo Fedorov wrote about this on social media.
He noted that Russia attacks Ukrainian cities with hundreds of drones every day, with more than 6,000 unmanned aerial vehicles launched over the past month alone. According to him, strikes hit residential buildings, critical infrastructure and trains, while the enemy constantly upgrades drone modifications and attack tactics, creating new risks, including UAVs equipped with Starlink.
Fedorov stressed that reacting to these evolving threats requires building a system capable of analyzing, countering and forecasting future risks. To that end, Ukraine is changing its approach to air defense and developing an effective short-range air defense and interceptor system in line with the president’s task.
The defense minister also announced new кадрові decisions within the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. One of the most effective commanders, Lazar, has been appointed deputy commander of the Air Force. Under his leadership, a short-range air defense command is being formed, headed by Colonel Yevhenii Khlebnikov.
According to Fedorov, Khlebnikov has extensive combat and management experience. He served in air defense missile units of the Air Force and worked at the General Staff on air defense development. From the first days of Russia’s full-scale invasion, he led the use of Bayraktar UAVs during the defense of Kyiv and the Chernihiv region and took part in planning the operation to liberate Zmiinyi Island. In 2014–2015, he participated in the battles for Donetsk airport.
Fedorov added that command and control in every region will be strengthened in the near future and that a strong team will continue to be formed to develop short-range air defense. He said these are the first decisions of the updated Defense Ministry team aimed at building an effective system to protect Ukraine’s skies, with further steps ahead to increase interception efficiency.