RismadarVoice Reporters
August 29, 2026
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has directed the country’s military to significantly increase its long-range drone attacks against Russia, with a target of launching at least 1,000 drones daily.
Zelenskyy disclosed the plan in his evening address on Friday, saying Ukraine must increase the scale of its attacks as Russia continues to launch strikes against Ukrainian cities and infrastructure.
“There needs to be more,” the Ukrainian president said, adding that there was a specific target which his government intended to achieve.
The proposed 1,000-drone daily target represents more than a threefold increase from the current estimate of about 300 long-range drones being used by Ukraine each day.
The announcement comes amid intensified attacks between the two countries and growing Ukrainian efforts to target Russian military and energy infrastructure deep inside Russian territory.
Zelenskyy also referred to recent reports concerning United States Central Intelligence Agency Director John Ratcliffe’s visit to Moscow, where he reportedly held meetings with Russian intelligence officials.
The Ukrainian president said Kyiv had received information from the United States regarding the meetings but did not provide details of what was discussed.
The Kremlin has confirmed that Ratcliffe met Russian intelligence officials in Moscow but said he did not meet Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The visit represented a rare high-level direct engagement between US and Russian intelligence officials as efforts to advance peace negotiations remain stalled.
RUSSIAN ATTACKS KILL CIVILIANS
Meanwhile, Russian attacks across Ukraine continued on Friday, with several people reported killed and dozens injured in different regions.
In the Kyiv region, at least one person was killed and two others injured in an early-morning drone attack, according to regional authorities.
In the northeastern Sumy region, a 61-year-old man was killed while seven others were injured in a drone strike. Four of the injured victims were reportedly hospitalised.
Russian air and artillery attacks also hit Kherson, where another 61-year-old man was killed and 11 people, including a child, were injured, according to regional authorities.
In the Kharkiv region, shelling reportedly killed a 26-year-old man and a 38-year-old woman, while 13 others, including two children, sustained injuries.
The attacks came as Ukraine continued its own strikes against targets inside Russia.
Zelenskyy said Ukrainian forces had attacked an oil refinery in Russia’s Yaroslavl region, approximately 1,000 kilometres from the front line.
He said Ukraine’s military intelligence had recorded what he described as significant results from attacks against Russian military production facilities and oil infrastructure.
According to Zelenskyy, the strikes are aimed at reducing Russia’s fuel supplies and export revenues while disrupting its production of solid-fuel rocket engines.
The latest development is part of Ukraine’s broader strategy of using long-range drones and missiles to attack Russian military capabilities and infrastructure rather than relying solely on defensive systems to intercept incoming Russian weapons.
