Ukraine Tests Jet-Drone Interceptor and Launches Lyman Counteroffensive

President Volodymyr Zelensky announced the successful test of a domestically developed interceptor designed to counter Russian jet-powered Shahed drones. The system scored a hit during trials, though Zelensky noted that technical control aspects still require refinement before deployment. The development follows a sharp increase in Russian jet-powered drone attacks, which rose from 450 in June to 2,850 in August.

On the battlefield, the 3rd Army Corps launched Operation Vivaldi, a counteroffensive near Lyman in eastern Ukraine that cleared Russian infiltrators from approximately 75 square kilometers. Simultaneously, Ukraine conducted long-range strikes against a Russian oil refinery in Syzran, a drone production facility in Taganrog, and a launch site in the Oryol region. Zelensky stated that impacting the oil bases underpinning the Russian war effort provides necessary potential for diplomacy.

Russia continued strikes across Ukraine, killing civilians in Slovyansk, Kramatorsk, Kyiv, and Zaporizhzhia, and targeting port infrastructure in Odesa. Zelensky also revealed that Russian drones twice entered Moldovan airspace while his presidential jet was stationed at Chisinau airport during trips to Norway and Canada.

Domestically, Ukrainian lawmakers approved the sacking of Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko following a corruption scandal.