President Volodymyr Zelensky has called on Ukraine's military to intensify long-range drone strikes against Russia, as Moscow continues deadly attacks across Ukraine.
In his evening address on Friday (August 28), Zelensky said the military aims to launch at least "1,000 drones" per day, more than triple the current estimated 300. "We need more," he stressed. "There is a specific target, and we will accomplish this mission."
In a Telegram post, Zelensky also referenced reports that U.S. intelligence director John Ratcliffe had traveled to Moscow for meetings. He said Kyiv "received information from the U.S. side about the meetings in Moscow taking place these days," without providing details. "There have been several meetings there," he added, thanking the U.S. "for the information and the necessary tone in the conversation with Russia."
The Kremlin confirmed Ratcliffe met with Russian intelligence officials in Moscow, but insisted "there were no meetings with the Russian president." The CIA director's visit to Moscow marks a rare high-level intelligence contact between the two sides amid stalled peace negotiations.
Also on Friday, continued Russian attacks killed several people and wounded dozens across Ukraine. In the Kyiv region, at least one person was killed and two injured, according to Governor Tymur Tkachenko. In the northeastern Sumy region, a 61-year-old man was killed and seven injured after a drone attack.
Russian air strikes and shelling also targeted Kherson on Friday night, killing a 61-year-old man and wounding 11, including a child. In the Kharkiv region, shelling killed a 26-year-old man and a 38-year-old woman, with 13 others injured, including two children.
Meanwhile, according to Zelensky, Ukrainian forces struck an oil refinery in Russia's Yaroslavl region, about 1,000 kilometers from the front lines. He also said attacks on military and oil production facilities deep inside Russian territory have proven "highly effective," causing "significant damage" to Russia's solid-fuel rocket engine production, while tightening Moscow's fuel supplies and export revenues.
