With partner finances, Ukraine 'will shoot down everything' amid escalating Russian drone attacks, Zelensky says

President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed Russia's intention to drastically escalate its drone attacks, potentially launching up to 1,000 drones per day, but noted that Ukraine already has effective countermeasures.

Since January, Russia has significantly intensified its aerial bombardments across Ukraine, consistently breaking records for the amount of firepower deployed and the resulting civilian casualties. Overnight on July 9, Russia launched what appears to be its largest missile and drone attack against multiple Ukrainian cities, with the far-western city of Lutsk coming under the heaviest attack of the war.

Speaking at the Ukraine Recovery Conference in Rome on July 10, Zelensky added that Russia aims to destabilize Ukraine through prolonged air raids. "The second story they (Russians) have is a plan for 1,000 drones... 700-1,000 drones per day. Now, if our partners hear everything I have discussed with them, we will shoot down everything (down)," Zelensky said.

The President added that Ukrainian scientists and engineers have found a proven effective technology from several manufacturers that can counteract the Iranian-designed Shahed drones. Ukraine will be able to mass-produce such counter-drones, but requires appropriate funding: "We have found a solution as a country. Scientists and engineers have found a solution. This is the key. We need finances. And we will raise it," Zelensky emphasized.

The president's remarks follow earlier warnings from Robert "Magyar" Brovdi, Commander of Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces.

On July 4, Brovdi warned that Russian Shahed drone strikes could escalate to 1,000 per day, prompting Ukraine to consider relocating its drone production. "Under the pressure of increasing mass use by the enemy of a cheap, but everywhere accessible Shahed... There will be 1,000 units (launched) per day and more," Brovdi said in a social media post, adding, "I am not scaring anyone," and that his warning is based on intelligence analysis.

Commander in Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi previously said that the effectiveness of Shahed interceptor drones stands at 70%, nearly twice as high as that of mobile fire groups. While the latter remain relevant, interceptors reportedly lack radar. The Unmanned Systems Forces acknowledge the good results shown by interceptor drones but caution that it is too early to guarantee consistency.

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‘You think the end has come’ — as Russian attacks on Ukraine escalate, Kyiv grapples with terrifying new normal

In the early hours of July 10, many Kyiv residents were jolted awake by the thundering sound of ballistic missiles shaking their buildings. Others were already lying awake in beds, bathtubs, and underground shelters across the city, as residents endure a new normal of intensified Russian strikes on the capital. “You lie down, look into the abyss of night, and hear the loudest attack,” Hryhorii Matsebok, a 47-year-old artist, told the Kyiv Independent. “And you think the end has already come.”

The Kyiv IndependentAndrea Januta