UPDATE - Zelenskyy announces new command to strengthen Ukraine’s counter-drone air defense

UPDATES WITH RUSSIAN DRONE STRIKES ON RAIL INFRASTRUCTURE, ADDS REMARKS BY UKRAINIAN PRIME MINISTER

By Alperen Aktas

ISTANBUL (AA) - Ukraine has approved a new command structure to oversee short-range counter-drone air defense to strengthen protection against Russian attacks on cities and border regions, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Friday.

In a statement on Telegram, Zelenskyy said the decision was taken at a meeting focused on advancing counter-drone air defense within the air force.

“We are significantly strengthening this component within the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine,” he said, adding that new management approaches and key tasks for the Air Force and the Defense Ministry were approved.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said Russian forces carried out seven drone attacks on railway facilities over the past 24 hours.

The attacks targeted the Synelnykove station, damaging suburban train cars, locomotives, tracks, and power lines, she said on US social media company X.

While no casualties were reported, Svyrydenko claimed the strikes were designed to paralyze civilian movement.

Due to the damage, national railway company Ukrzaliznytsia imposed temporary restrictions on rail traffic between Dnipro and Zaporizhzhia. Passengers on affected services were being transported via bus shuttles organized by regional military administrations.

Zelenskyy said the first priority is reinforcing protection for cities such as Kherson and Nikopol, as well as border communities in the Sumy region.

“The second task is scaling up our counteraction against ‘shaheds’ and other Russian attack drones. There will be more lines of defense and protection,” he said.

Alongside defense measures, Zelenskyy also highlighted diplomatic efforts to secure infrastructure, noting he discussed joint energy projects with Romanian officials to strengthen regional energy security.

As a third priority, Zelenskyy stressed the need to expand the experience of successful units across Ukraine’s defense forces so that effective solutions can be applied more broadly.