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

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has instructed his military to dramatically escalate long-range drone strikes against Russia, setting a target of at least 1,000 drones launched daily as Moscow continues its deadly attacks across Ukraine.

The proposed daily quota represents a more than threefold increase from Ukraine's current estimated output of approximately 300 drones per day. Speaking during his Friday evening address, Zelenskyy emphasized that expanding Ukraine's aerial strike capacity is a priority for the armed forces, stating that there is a concrete goal that the country intends to fulfill.

The call for intensified long-range operations comes as Ukraine continues to target energy and military infrastructure deep inside Russian borders. Zelenskyy noted that Ukrainian forces recently carried out a strike on an oil refinery in Russia's Yaroslavl region, situated approximately 1,000 kilometers from the front lines. Ukrainian military intelligence reported that deep strikes have proven highly effective at damaging solid-fuel rocket engine manufacturing plants while simultaneously choking off Russian fuel supplies and crucial export revenues.

Zelenskyy's directive also followed a rare high-level direct intelligence engagement between Washington and Moscow. In a statement posted to Telegram, Zelenskyy acknowledged receiving information from American officials regarding a visit to the Russian capital by U.S. CIA Director John Ratcliffe. The Ukrainian leader expressed appreciation to the United States for sharing details about the meetings and for maintaining what he described as the necessary tone in discussions with Russia.

The Kremlin subsequently confirmed that Ratcliffe held talks with Russian intelligence officials during his visit to Moscow, though Russian officials clarified that no meetings occurred with President Vladimir Putin. The visit by the American spy chief highlighted ongoing behind-the-scenes communication despite stalled peace talks and escalating military actions on the ground.

The push for more Ukrainian drone strikes comes against the backdrop of persistent Russian bombardments that killed several civilians and wounded dozens more across Ukraine within a 24-hour period.

In the northeastern Kharkiv region, local authorities reported that Russian shelling killed a 26-year-old man and a 38-year-old woman, while injuring 13 other people, including two children. In southern Ukraine's Kherson region, Governor Oleksandr Prokudin stated that repeated air and artillery strikes killed a 61-year-old man and wounded 11 individuals, including a child.

Fatalities were also reported elsewhere in the country. A drone strike in the northeastern Sumy region killed a 61-year-old man and injured seven people, four of whom were hospitalized. Meanwhile, in the Kyiv region, Governor Tymur Tkachenko confirmed that Russian strikes killed at least one person and injured two others early Friday morning.