Zelenskyy directs redistribution of air defense systems to counter Russian attacks

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy instructed the military to prepare a comprehensive plan for further actions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces to protect against Russian attacks at the Supreme Commander-in-Chief's Staff meeting on April 22.

"Another meeting. We went over the main issues: the battlefield, weapons, protection of cities, municipalities, and critical infrastructure," the Ukrainian leader said on Telegram following the meeting.

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Zelenskyy said that he had heard a report from Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi and Defense Minister Rustem Umerov.

According to the Ukrainian military, the Russian army has been tasked with demonstrating at least some victories by May 9 without paying heed to its own losses.

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The Ukrainian forces are working on a new format of agreements that, on the one hand, will not burden the military budget, and on the other hand, will guarantee long-term state obligations to manufacturers, Zelenskyy added.

"For the next meeting, I have instructed to collect everything our intelligence knows about the intentions of Russian terrorists to destroy civilian infrastructure and prepare a comprehensive plan of further actions: strengthening physical protection where it works, redistributing air defense systems, and decentralization where possible," the president said.

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Due to the lack of air defense systems in Ukraine, those regions that are located near the Russian border or the occupied territories suffer the most, Illya Yevlash, a spokesperson for the Ukrainian Air Force, said on April 21.

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