Ukraine produces up to 1000 interceptors per day, but there are not enough operators – Zelensky

Ukraine produces up to 1,000 drone interceptors every day, but there is currently a shortage of operators. This was announced by President Volodymyr Zelenskyyanswering questions in the Presidential Office's chat room.

The Head of State commented Russian plans to launch about 1,000 "shaheds" per day and possible assistance from a "coalition of the willing" in countering drone attacks.

"As for the 'coalition of the willing', it will work as a security guarantor only after the war is over, only after the ceasefire. Therefore, as long as the "shahids" are flying at us and the war is not over, we will not be able to count on their help. Only within the framework of our bilateral partnership agreements," the President said.

He added that it was about financing Ukrainian production.

Zelenskyy emphasized that the Russians wanted to reach the figure of 1,000 drones in 2025, but they failed. The average number per day was 200-250 units.

"They want up to 1000 now. We will see. So far, I see an average of 350 as their capabilities," the head of state added.

He believes that Ukraine should be prepared for the worst-case scenario – the use of 1,000 UAVs per day. There should be at least two interceptors per "Shahed". Currently, Ukraine produces up to 1,000 interceptors per day.

"But this is not enough. Our interceptors have already overtaken the number of our operators. So now we have to catch up with this number of interceptor groups, corresponding mobile groups," Zelenskyy said.

According to him, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine is aware of this task Oleksandr Syrskyi and the new Minister of Defense Mikhail Fedorov.

• Defense Express arms expert Kyrychevsky said that the ongoing Russian attack on Kyiv on December 27 indicates that Russia has not only accumulated "Shaheds" but also increased the number of UAV personnel.
• On January 6, Syrsky stated that in 2026, Russians plan to double the number of unmanned systems troops to more than 160,000 people.