"The task is an anti-drone dome over Ukraine." The Air Force commander has a new deputy

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the minister of Defense Mykhailo Fedorov agreed on a candidate for the post of a new deputy commander of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, who will be in charge of the small air defense system. This was stated by the Head of State said in their social networks. Later, it became known that colonel Pavlo "Lazar" Yelizarov took up the position.

Zelenskyy said that he and Fedorov had agreed on personnel decisions that "should strengthen our defense."

In particular, this refers to the candidate for the post of deputy commander of the Air Force. According to the president, his task will be to transform the use of interceptor drones, the work of mobile fire groups and other units in such a way that "it is one hundred percent effective."

The head of state also informed about the continuation of the audit of the supply of weapons and necessary equipment to the army, noting that there should be a guaranteed number of drones for all combat brigades.

"Thirdly, we continue to develop a system of technological control over the battlefield and the actual destruction of the occupier. The task is to launch tools for the most rapid analysis of each enemy strike, each of our combat operations," Zelenskyy added.

UPDATED. The president said in the evening address that Pavlo Yelizarov (call sign Lazar), who heads a separate special forces unit of the National Guard, Lasar's group, has been appointed as the new deputy commander of the Air Force.

"The army knows it – Lazar, a special unit that works, works effectively. Together with the minister of defense of Ukraine and the military command, a new organization for the entire component of this kind of sky protection should be developed and will be developed," said the head of state added regarding small air defense.

Defense minister Fedorov noted that under Elizarov's leadership, Lasar's group has become one of the most effective units in the Defense Forces.

"It is this team that destroyed enemy equipment worth more than $13 billion. Every fifth destroyed Russian tank is the result of their work. The unit is consistently at the top of the "Drone Army. Bonus" rating, with 364 guns and 12 multiple launch rocket systems in December alone," the official said.

According to him, the military's task will now be to scale this experience and build "a system that works not on a point basis, but at the level of the whole country."

"Our task is to build an anti-drone dome over Ukraine. A system that does not react after the fact, but destroys the threat on approach [...] The anti-drone dome is not about the future. It is about survival today and the possibility of Ukraine's development even in times of war," the minister explained.

Fedorov also announced new appointments in the near future.

• On January 17, Zelenskyy announced changes to the Air Force, in particular, human resources.