Russo-Ukrainian war, day 1657: Ukraine’s newly appointed top commander wants to break with a Soviet-inherited system
Kyiv is also stockpiling food and water ahead of winter, bracing for harsher aerial attacks on infrastructure.
On the 1,657th day of the Russo-Ukrainian war, Ukraine's newly appointed top commander is seeking to move away from the Soviet-inherited command structure. This commander desires to grant real authority to combat-tested sergeants, a departure from the previous system where officers made all decisions and sergeants held no rank of their own.
The new approach comes amid growing fears of a potential missile threat from Belarus and Russia intensifying its aerial attacks on Kyiv, with Russia deploying a missile brigade to the country and allowing its territory to be used for guiding strikes against Ukrainian targets.
In addition to military developments, Ukraine has been taking steps to bolster its air defense capabilities. The country is utilizing radar-guided anti-drone systems, built with equipment from other European nations, including a Belgian turret, and has even repurposed 1980s Leopards from across Europe to serve as radar-guided drone killers.
Notably, Ukraine's drone forces claimed to have destroyed 58,465 Russian targets in August, with three campaigns accounting for most of the strategic damage. The Ukrainian AI targeting module also performed well in a NATO contest, placing third among several entries.
Ukraine's efforts in countering Russian drone attacks have been called "Plan B" to diplomacy's "Plan A." Zelenskyy highlighted the importance of the air-defense push as a contingency plan, emphasizing the urgent need to neutralize Russia's jet-powered drones. However, only a few of the 67 companies involved in the air-defense program have achieved significant results.
The Ukrainian leader expressed his frustration with China's involvement, revealing that Chinese state firms have supplied drone-grade materials to sanctioned Russian plants.
Written by urgent.news from Euromaidan Press's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
