President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Tuesday that Ukraine was carrying out tests on a new weapon to intercept drones and had recorded a successful hit overnight.
– “Another development is undergoing testing. It’s a Ukrainian development and it scored a hit, the ‘shahed’ was destroyed,” Zelenskiy said in his nightly video address, referring to the Iranian-designed drones that Ukraine’s military has faced.
– “But some technical things still need to be refined. We need a bit more time. The work of other developers is continuing.”
– Ukraine’s military said on Facebook that its forces had downed 187 airborne targets overnight.
– In his remarks, Zelenskiy said 93% of all Russian drones had been intercepted overnight.
– “That is significant. But, of course, more is needed,” he said.
– Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022, Ukraine has rapidly developed anti-drone technology and now offers its expertise to other countries, including some in the Middle East that have faced Iranian strikes.
– It has focused on developing interceptors as an efficient and cheaper means of intercepting drones.
– Ukrainian forces have had more difficulty downing Russian ballistic missiles and have asked Western allies to step up supplies of interceptors. Kyiv is also pressing for the rapid development of a European-designed air defence system, known as Freyja.