Ukraine’s Zelenskyy plans to hit Russia with ‘1,000 drones’ a day

Ukrainian president seeks to measurement up attacks pursuing a Moscow sojourn from the US spy chief.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has called connected his subject to summation its long-range drone strikes against Russia arsenic Moscow continues to transportation retired deadly attacks crossed Ukraine.

In his evening code connected Friday, Zelenskyy said helium plans for the service to motorboat astatine slightest “1,000 drones” against Russia daily, a much than threefold leap from the existent estimation of 300.

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“There needs to beryllium more,” the president said. “There is simply a factual goal, and we volition fulfil this task.”

In a Telegram post, Zelenskyy besides addressed reports that the United States’s spy chief, John Ratcliffe, had visited Moscow for meetings.

Zelenskyy said Kyiv “received accusation from the American broadside astir the meetings successful Moscow that took spot these days”, but did not elaborate further.

“There were a fig of meetings there,” helium added, thanking the US “for the accusation and for the indispensable code of the speech with Russia”.

The Kremlin confirmed Ratcliffe met Russian quality officials successful Moscow, but said determination were “no meetings of immoderate benignant with the Russian president”.

The CIA director’s sojourn to Moscow marked a uncommon high-level nonstop quality engagement amid stalled bid negotiations.

Smoke rises from a Russian drone onslaught successful Kyiv, Ukraine, August 28, 2026 [Gleb Garanich/Reuters]

Deaths crossed Ukraine

Ongoing Russian attacks person killed respective radical and wounded dozens crossed Ukraine implicit the past day.

At slightest 1 idiosyncratic was killed and 2 others injured successful the Kyiv portion aboriginal connected Friday, determination Governor Tymur Tkachenko wrote connected Telegram.

A drone onslaught connected the northeastern Sumy portion meantime killed 1 61-year-old antheral and wounded 7 people, 4 of whom were hospitalised, according to the determination subject administration.

Russian aerial and artillery attacks besides descended connected Kherson overnight connected Friday, sidesplitting a 61-year-old antheral and injuring 11 others, including a child, determination Governor Oleksandr Prokudin said. Strikes continued astatine aggregate intervals passim the time crossed Kherson, located successful confederate Ukraine adjacent the Black Sea.

And successful the Kharkiv portion to the northeast, shelling killed a 26-year-old antheral and a 38-year-old woman, the section medication said. Another 13 radical were injured, including 2 children.

Meanwhile successful Russia, Ukraine’s service struck an lipid refinery successful the Yaroslavl region, located astir 1,000 kilometres (621 miles) from the beforehand line, according to Zelenskyy.

The Ukrainian president earlier wrote connected Telegram that Kyiv’s subject quality had proven the “high effectiveness” of strikes connected subject accumulation and lipid facilities heavy successful Russian territory, squeezing Moscow’s substance supplies and export gross portion dealing “significant” harm to its solid-fuel rocket motor manufacturing.