Zelenskyy vows to boost Ukrainian drone raids to 1,000 daily against Russia

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called for a dramatic increase in long-range drone attacks, setting a goal of launching at least 1,000 drones against Russia each day, more than three times the current estimate. He made the appeal while condemning a series of Russian strikes that have killed civilians in the Kyiv, Sumy, Kherson and Kharkiv regions, with regional governors reporting multiple fatalities and injuries.

Zelenskyy also addressed reports of U.S. CIA Director John Ratcliffe’s meetings in Moscow, expressing gratitude for the information received from American officials. The Kremlin confirmed Ratcliffe’s talks with Russian intelligence but denied any meeting with President Putin. Ukrainian officials said their forces hit an oil refinery in the Yaroslavl region, about 1,000 kilometres from the front line, asserting that strikes on Russian military-industrial sites are curbing Moscow’s fuel supplies and rocket engine production.