Ukraine downs jet‑powered Shahed with new interceptor

Ukraine has successfully intercepted a jet-powered Russian Shahed drone using a domestically developed anti-drone weapon, marking a critical milestone in the country's defense against faster aerial threats, according to statements made on Tuesday. The breakthrough arrives as the conflict continues to expand across European borders, intersecting with heightened security crises, diplomatic maneuvers, and ongoing frontline fighting detailed in World coverage.

Speaking in his evening address, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed that the new interceptor had successfully destroyed a jet-powered suicide drone. The Guardian reported that the weapon is a Ukrainian development, though Zelenskyy noted that technical refinements are still required. Previously, Ukrainian forces struggled against the newer jet-engined Shaheds, which exceed speeds of 400km/h and left military officials scrambling for effective countermeasures. Maksym Zhorin, deputy commander of Ukraine's 3rd Army Corps, previously admitted that forces initially lacked solutions for the rapid drones. However, Yuriy Cherevashenko, a deputy commander of the air force, stated that a new generation of cheap guided missiles engineered to cost less than the targets is currently being tested.

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The anti-drone milestone coincided with revelations that Russian drones targeted Zelenskyy's presidential jet twice while he traveled through Moldova. inkl reported, via an exclusive interview with CBS News, that the second incident had not been previously publicized. The first incident was publicly disclosed by Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store, who stated the plane was almost hit while transporting Zelenskyy to Oslo. This build-up of aerial threats extends beyond Ukraine's borders, with The Independent noting that NATO fighter jets shot down a drone in Lithuanian airspace for the first time.

On the ground, Ukraine's 3rd Army Corps launched a counter-offensive operation named Vivaldi near Lyman in the eastern Donetsk region, clearing Russian infiltrators from an area of roughly 75 square kilometres, according to unit commander Andriy Biletsky. Concurrently, heavy bombardment continued across multiple regions. Russian strikes killed one person in Kyiv, damaged petrol stations, and struck Odesa's port infrastructure. A separate drone strike killed one person and knocked out power in Zaporizhzhia, while a bus attack in the Dnipropetrovsk region killed five people and wounded seven.

International fallout intensified as European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen proposed creating a European Security Council during her State of the European Union address, aiming to establish an emergency security protocol against hybrid attacks. Meanwhile, diplomatic and military frictions persisted globally, with Denmark accusing a Russian warship of firing flares within metres of a military helicopter without warning or radio contact.

Further developments, military tests of the new interceptor class, and responses to von der Leyen's proposed European Security Council framework are expected to unfold in the coming days.