Ukraine urgently reshapes air defense after Zelenskyy’s harsh criticism: What is changing

Ukraine’s air defenses operate under sustained Russian attacks, including daily strike drone launches and periodic missile and air strikes. Under such conditions, the system must continuously adapt while maintaining defensive operations.

Syrskyi said a package of urgent changes in the Air Force and air defense structure is aimed at improving the protection of Ukrainian airspace.

Air defenses operating near capacity

Syrskyi says Ukraine’s air defense effectiveness has held at about 74% over the past two years. Efforts are being made to raise this level through innovation, increased technological capacity and more flexible management decisions.

Russian forces deploy between 100 and 200 «Shahed"-type strike drones daily and periodically conduct mass missile and air strikes.

In poor weather conditions, anti-aircraft missile units remain the primary and most effective means, operating in all-weather mode. In favourable weather, aircraft, helicopters and interceptor drones are actively used. Combined, this allows up to 70% or more of aerial targets to be destroyed.

Cutting bureaucracy and redistributing roles

Syrskyi said the resilience of Ukraine’s air defense depends on several factors, including:

• consistent supplies of weapons;

• technological upgrades;

• effective personnel and management decisions;

• rapid adaptation to emerging threats;

• abandoning outdated bureaucratic practices.

A set of organizational measures is currently under way. Plans include redistributing responsibilities between anti-aircraft missile forces and a new military branch tasked with protecting critical infrastructure. Ukraine is also increasing both the number and capability of interceptor drones.

Active work is also continuing with international partners to address the shortage of missiles for air defense systems and fighter aircraft.

Zelenskyy criticizes air defense performance

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy recently held a meeting on the regional energy situation and sharply criticized the performance of the Air Force in border regions.

He said the Air Force must act much more quickly to strengthen the protection of Kharkiv region and other areas bordering Russia from «Shahed» and other strike drones.

«Ukraine has no time to wait for some Air Force elements to adjust, ” Zelenskyy said.

He also highlighted electricity supply problems in several regions, saying authorities in some communities had reacted too slowly to prolonged outages. A difficult situation has been reported in parts of Dnipropetrovsk region, including Kryvyi Rih.

Problem lies not just in organization but also in missile shortages

A key concern remains the lack of ammunition for air defenses. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that as of the morning of 16 January, Ukraine effectively had no missiles for several air defense systems.

According to him, the necessary missiles were only obtained after further agreements with international partners.

«Until this morning, we had several systems without missiles. Today I can speak frankly about this, because today I have these missiles, ” Zelenskyy said.

The president added that he repeatedly has to secure aid packages from the US and Europe, as these countries have their own limits on minimum stockpiles.

Zelenskyy stressed that the issue is not only the number of Patriot systems — Ukraine has received a variety of air defense systems — but that their effectiveness depends on steady and reliable missile supplies.