Putin escalates strikes on Ukraine before Russian elections, Zelensky says

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that Russian dictator Vladimir Putin is intensifying strikes on Ukraine ahead of elections in Russia, but 67 companies in Ukraine are already working on shooting down jet-powered drones. Zelensky made the remarks at a joint press conference with US President's special representatives Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, saying the recent attacks are "horror" and that Putin is increasing strikes before his elections. He assured that Ukraine is responding with intensified strikes on Russia "until the terror and war end." Earlier, Air Force spokesman Yuri Ignat reported that Russia used five times more jet drones in July than in June. On September 3, Zelensky held a Staff meeting focused on accelerating production of high-speed interceptors against jet-powered Shahed drones, noting prototypes are developed and work continues on achieving necessary effectiveness.