Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Saturday that he had approved new long-range operations against Russia in response to continued Russian strikes, as Kyiv seeks to expand its ability to conduct deep strikes and counter Moscow's growing use of jet-powered drones.

Zelensky made the announcement after receiving reports from Defense Minister Yevhen Khmara and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Mykhailo Drapatyi.

“I also approved new long-range operations in response to Russian strikes. We are preparing to expand our long-range capabilities,” Zelensky said in a statement.

He did not provide details about the targets, timing or weapons that would be involved in the newly approved operations.

The meeting also addressed changes to Ukraine's Medical Forces, the expansion of combat practices that have proved effective on the battlefield and new approaches to recruiting foreign volunteers for the Ukrainian armed forces.

Kyiv has increasingly relied on long-range drones to strike targets deep inside Russia, including oil facilities, military infrastructure, logistics hubs and weapons-production sites.

Zelensky has previously described such attacks as a form of “long-range sanctions” against Moscow. Ukrainian officials have also said the country has developed the ability to strike targets more than 3,000 kilometers inside Russian territory.

The latest announcement comes amid continued Russian missile and drone attacks on Ukrainian cities and infrastructure. Ukrainian authorities said Russian attacks overnight into Saturday killed four people and wounded 21 others.

The attacks have also intensified the technological contest between the two sides, particularly in the field of unmanned aerial warfare.

Alongside plans to expand its long-range strike capabilities, Ukraine is accelerating efforts to defend against Russia's increasingly sophisticated drone attacks.

Zelensky said Saturday that a new Ukrainian interceptor drone developed by the Security Service of Ukraine's military counterintelligence had successfully been deployed against Russian jet-powered Shahed-type drones.

Later in the day, he reported a second successful interception, saying a Ukrainian interceptor had struck a Russian Geran-5 jet-powered drone. Ukrainian authorities released footage purporting to show the interception.

Zelensky said several Ukrainian systems designed to counter jet-powered Shaheds had already demonstrated their effectiveness in combat and that Kyiv was working toward their systematic deployment and mass production.

Ukraine first announced the successful testing of a domestically developed interceptor against jet-powered Shaheds earlier this week. Reuters reported that the new technology is intended to provide a more cost-effective way of countering the increasingly rapid drones, which can travel at more than 400 kilometers per hour.

Russia has increasingly deployed jet-powered variants of Shahed-type attack drones against Ukraine. Their higher speed makes them more difficult to intercept than earlier propeller-driven models, according to Ukrainian and Western assessments.

Reuters reported this week that Russia was producing large numbers of jet-powered drones and that Ukraine was testing a range of countermeasures, including faster interceptor drones, guided weapons and systems using artificial intelligence to improve targeting.

The development has added another dimension to the long-running drone and missile war, with both sides seeking to expand offensive capabilities while finding cheaper and more effective ways to intercept incoming weapons.

Ukraine has also continued striking Russian energy and military infrastructure, while Moscow has maintained its campaign of missile and drone attacks against Ukrainian cities and critical infrastructure.

Zelensky's latest announcement did not identify the specific Russian targets involved in the new long-range operations or indicate when they would begin.

The decision nevertheless signals that Kyiv intends to continue developing its ability to conduct strikes deep inside Russia while simultaneously expanding its defenses against increasingly advanced Russian drones.

The developments come amid broader efforts to find a negotiated end to the war, although Russian and Ukrainian attacks have continued despite diplomatic initiatives and discussions over potential arrangements concerning strikes on energy infrastructure. (ILKHA)