Air Force work against Shaheds is unsatisfactory. Defense Ministry conclusions to follow, Zelenskyy says

Zelenskyy criticizes Air Force response to Russian Shahed attacks

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy criticized the work of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in countering Russian "Shaheds" amid massive attacks. There have been hits by enemy drones on the energy sector.

He said this in his evening video address, Censor.NET reports.

Criticism of the Air Force

According to Zelenskyy, many forces are involved in countering Russian air attacks, including mobile fire groups, interceptor drones, and F-16 fighters, but the organization of the Air Force’s work should be different.

"We separately reviewed this situation with the defense minister [Mykhailo Fedorov] — conclusions will follow," the president added.

Background

As noted, on the night of 20 January 2026, Russian troops attacked the territory of Kyiv with strike drones. The Air Force also reported ballistic missile launches, including towards the capital.
In addition, the enemy launched Tu-95MS aircraft. Monitoring channels are reporting on possible missile launches.
According to the Kyiv City State Administration, metro trains will run with changes due to the energy situation.
5635 high-rise buildings were left without heating, and the left bank without water.
The shelling damaged a school, houses, and non-residential premises in the Dniprovskyi district.
In addition, the Russians attacked the Kyiv region: a man was killed in the Bucha district, and a petrol station was damaged.
As a result of the nightly enemy attack, there was a hit on a critical infrastructure facility in the Vinnytsia region.
A critical infrastructure facility in the Rivne region was attacked.
In the Poltava region, an industrial facility was hit.
In the Kherson region, four people were injured as a result of Russian attacks.