Zelensky approves new long-range strikes in response to Russian strikes on Ukraine

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Saturday that he had approved new long-range strikes on Russia in response to Moscow's own strikes against his country.

In a statement on US social media platform X, made after listening to reports from Ukrainian Defense Minister Yevhenii Khmara and Commander-in-Chief Mykhailo Drapatyi, Zelenskyy said decisions are being prepared to update "management approaches" and the system for "responding to challenges" in Ukraine's Medical Forces Command following a change in its leadership.

"The key priority is to scale up as widely as possible the successful practices already being used in combat brigades and by effective brigade patronage services. Scaling up the successful experience of the Defense Forces is a priority for commanders at every level," Zelensky said.

Zelensky said they also discussed revising the regulatory framework and approaches for recruiting foreign volunteers to serve in Ukraine's military.

"I also approved new long-range operations in response to Russian strikes. We are preparing to expand our long-range capabilities," he added.

He also said that Ukraine has developed several ways to shoot down Russian jet-powered drones that have proven effective in "real-world operations," adding that efforts are underway to deploy them, ensure their consistent effectiveness against such targets, and scale up their production.

"Together with the Commander-in-Chief, we also identified further priorities for active operations on the front," Zelensky added.

Earlier, Zelensky said he got a report by Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) chief Oleksandr Poklad, who said there were "good" results from the SBU's military counterintelligence in defending against jet-powered drones.

"A new interceptor drone has been developed and has already been successfully deployed. Step by step, we are moving forward to give Ukraine greater protection. I thank all the developers and manufacturers who work every day to scale up the weapons we need," he added.

Russia and Ukraine have ramped up strikes in recent months, targeting each other's logistics centers, ports, and energy infrastructure.

Both sides deny deliberately targeting civilian infrastructure, maintaining that their strikes are directed at military targets or facilities linked to military activities.