(Reuters) -Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Friday appointed a new commander responsible for drone air defences, seen as a critical element in defending against the threat of Russian drones.
The president’s website said Yuri Cherevashenko had experience in helping create Ukraine’s first group of reaction forces of air defence mobile brigades.
He also played a role in developing interceptor drones, which Zelenskiy and other officials have portrayed as a key part in countering intensive Russian drone assaults in the more than 3-1/2-year war.
Zelenskiy said a meeting of Ukraine’s command set out several tasks for the new commander, including the development of interceptor drones and the introduction of new means to strengthen air defences.
Ukraine’s top commander, Oleksandr Syrskyi, said in September that Ukraine was looking to improve performance by interceptor drones to create a “layered system” of defence against Russian drones.
(Reporting by Ron Popeski and Oleksander KozhukharEditing by Rod Nickel)
