Ukraine to deploy small missiles and automated turrets against jet drones, Zelensky says

Ukraine will begin deploying domestically produced small interceptor missiles by late October to counter Russian jet-powered drones, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced Sunday during a Kyiv press briefing with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, alongside plans to expand automated gun turrets around the capital. Zelensky confirmed Ukrainian defense firms developed several lower-cost missile types for high-speed UAVs, with initial combat results expected in the second half of October, though serial production awaits performance verification. He noted current interception rates for jet drones stand at 50-60 percent, aided by F-16s and 20mm ammunition, while over 12 automated 12.7mm turrets are installed in Kyiv with eight more planned for the region. The announcements coincided with a bilateral Ukraine-Germany counter-drone agreement enabling joint production ventures, as Merz defied Russian Foreign Ministry threats of "mortal danger" to visit Kyiv, citing an Aug. 4 sabotage plot at Leipzig/Halle Airport. EU Ambassador Katarína Mathernová confirmed no member state embassy is evacuating, with all 25 missions and the EU Advisory Mission remaining operational.