In comments to the Financial Times, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky argued that Russia’s war against Ukraine has moved from land and sea to air, with the outcome increasingly determined by air power and counter–air defenses. He said Ukraine has already denied Russia success on the ground, pushed back parts of Russia’s Black Sea naval posture using naval drones, and now faces a competition in which dominance of the skies matters more than territorial size.

Zelensky said the key variable is air and anti-ballistic defense, describing it as a major weakness in the “equation.” He also defended deep strikes inside Russia as part of building leverage and said the effectiveness of continued Western support will ultimately shape whether Ukrainian forces can prevail.

In the interview, Zelensky framed a sustained pressure campaign as a way to make the war “felt” by Russia’s leadership, stating that when not hundreds but “a thousand” drones fly toward Moscow, Putin will see the threat directly and be pressured by advisors to consider moving away from the city. He added that targeting Moscow and St. Petersburg is intentional because those are where decisions are made.

He also linked vulnerability to air defense gaps to historical constraints after the Soviet Union, and said that without sustained financial backing for Ukraine, or without soldiers holding the front, Russian advances would continue to change the balance of the war.