Zelenskyy Announces New Air Defenses Ahead of Expected ‘Massive’ Russian Strike

Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy unveiled new air defenses Monday that he said will help brace against future Russian attacks, which could come at any moment.

The new system is made up of small groups deploying interceptor drones and comes as Zelenksyy has repeatedly called for increased assistance from western allies, including the United States, in its ongoing war with Russia.

The Ukrainian president appointed a new deputy Air Force commander, Pavlo Yelizarov, to oversee the rollout of the air defense system.

“There will be a new approach to the use of air defenses by the Air Force, concerning mobile fire groups, interceptor drones, and other ‘short-range’ air defense assets,” Zelenskyy said in one of his nightly address videos. “The system will be transformed.”

In his remarks, the Ukrainian leader added that his citizens should remain vigilant ahead of anticipated Russian attacks. Be prepared to help people, Zelenskyy told Ukrainians.

“Russia has prepared for a strike, a massive strike, and is waiting for the moment to carry it out,” he said.

The announcement of new air defense systems comes as Russia launched a series of attacks at multiple regions in Ukraine Sunday night into early Monday morning, Zelenskyy said in a post on X, with more than 200 strike drones. Two were killed and dozens injured.

These latest strikes come as Ukrainian Energy Minister Denys Shmyhal said Jan. 16 the country’s power grid faces an unprecedented challenge. Russian bombardments have left hundreds of thousands of citizens without heating or light for days as nighttime temperatures regularly plunge below zero degrees.

“Nobody in the world has ever faced such a challenge,” Shmyhal said. “There is not a single power plant left in Ukraine that has not been hit by the enemy during the war. Thousands of megawatts of generation have been knocked out.”

Kyiv officials have previously accused Russia of “weaponizing winter.”

Ukrainian intelligence officials, including Zelenskyy, accused Russia of carrying out reconnaissance missions on substations that power nuclear plants.

In addition to boosting and transforming its air defenses to protect against Russian advances, Zelenskyy recently discussed with U.S. President Donald Trump the possibility of establishing an American military presence in his country. The Ukrainian president said it would be a huge factor in a U.S. security guarantee for Kyiv.

“Of course, we are discussing this with President Trump and with representatives of the coalition. We want this. We would like this. This would be a strong position of the security guarantees,” Zelenskyy wrote in a WhatsApp message to the media.

This idea for setting up an American troop presence in Ukraine came only two days after Zelenskyy met with the American leader at his Mar-a-Lago residence, where the pair discussed a 20-point peace plan on ending the war with Russia and a 15-year U.S. security guarantee.

Russian leader Vladimir Putin and Zelenskyy have traded accusations of each other sabotaging ongoing peace talks.

“If Russia is deliberately dragging out the diplomatic process, the world’s response must be decisive: more assistance for Ukraine and more pressure on the aggressor,” Zelenskyy said on X.

Putin recently said security for his country must be comprehensive, equal, and indivisible.

“The crisis around Ukraine, which became a direct consequence of years of ignoring Russia’s legitimate interests and a deliberate policy of creating threats to our security, including the advancement of the NATO bloc towards Russia’s borders—contrary to the public promises made to us,” the Russian leader said at a Jan. 15 ceremony.

Security cannot be ensured for some at the expense of others, Putin stated.

Further talks on an agreement to end the nearly four-year war are set to continue at the World Economic Forum this week in Davos, Switzerland.

Reuters contributed to this report.