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Ukraine to Build an “Anti-Drone Dome” to Intercept Russian Drone Swarms on Approach
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Ukraine is moving to build what officials described as an “anti-drone dome” over the country after Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov signed an order appointing drone unit commander Pavlo Yelizarov as a deputy commander of the Air Force, according to the Ukrainian Defense Ministry on January 19.
Fedorov said Yelizarov, known by the call sign “Lazar,” will be responsible for developing “small” air defense and the drone interception direction as Ukraine adjusts tactics against sustained Russian aerial attacks.
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In a Telegram post, Fedorov recalled that Russia launched up to 100,000 Shahed drones and other unmanned aerial vehicles at Ukraine in 2025.
“Our task is to build an anti-drone dome over Ukraine—a system that does not react after the fact, but destroys the threat while it is still approaching,” Fedorov wrote.
“For this, we need people who have already proved their effectiveness in modern war. Lazar is one of them.”
Zelenskyy on January 19 linked Yelizarov’s appointment to a broader overhaul in how the Air Force applies short-range air defense, including mobile fire groups, interceptor drones and other tools, as Ukraine braces for continued large-scale drone attacks.
Zelenskyy’s office reported that the appointment was part of a shift toward new sky-defense tactics, while mentioning that the plan was a new air defense system focused on countering mass drone strikes.
The president signaled the shift days earlier after meeting with newly appointed Defense Minister Fedorov on January 14, saying the ministry’s priority was air defense.
“The main thing is protecting the sky,” Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram, adding that “there are specific decisions that must be implemented as quickly as possible.”
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