"Anti-drone dome" over Ukraine: who and why did Fedorov bring to the Air Force
20.01.2026Ukraine is entering a year when the skies above the front and cities are increasingly being confronted not by missiles and fighter jets, but by swarms of drones — strike, reconnaissance, and interceptors. Against this backdrop, the new Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov announces an ambitious goal: to build an “anti-drone dome” over the country, and for this purpose he appoints a new deputy commander of the Air Force, Pavel Yelizarov, responsible for drones and countermeasures.1 This is not just personnel news - it is an announcement that from now on, Ukrainian skies will be protected not only by Patriot missiles, but also by engineers, artificial intelligence, and thousands of small interceptors that will operate where traditional air defense physically cannot keep up.
Who is Pavel Elizarov and why him?
According to Censor.NET, Pavel Elizarov became the new deputy commander of the Air Force "for the drone part" - his area of responsibility will include both strike drones and systems for intercepting enemy UAVs.1 Before that, he worked in the Ministry of Digital Affairs team and participated in the creation and scaling of the "Drone Army", so he knows the inside story of the Ukrainian drone industry - from volunteer workshops to large manufacturers.
Commenting on the appointment, Mikhail Fedorov emphasized: the choice fell on a person who understands both hardware, numbers, and front-line practice — that is, knows how to translate technical ideas into solutions that actually work on the battlefield.1 3 In an environment where drones and electronic warfare have become as decisive a factor as artillery or armored vehicles, this decision looks like an attempt to unite the military, engineers, and IT professionals.
What does Fedorov mean when he talks about the "anti-drone dome"?
The “anti-drone dome” formula is not one project or one type of weapon. In his commentary, Fedorov describes it as a combination of several layers of defense: classic air defense systems, a network of radars and passive sensors, drone interceptors, electronic warfare (EW) means, and software complexes that “stitch” all of this together into a single response system.1 3
The idea is simple: over each important facility, city, or front line, there should be not just one air defense battery that counts every missile, but an entire ecosystem of means capable of detecting, classifying, and destroying various types of threats in real time — from Shaheds to FPV drones and glide bombs.3 6 Meanwhile, long-range missiles are reserved for cruise and ballistic targets, while cheaper interceptor drones take on massive drone attacks.
Ukraine is already producing 1500 interceptors per day
UNITED24 Media reminds us: the decision to make interceptors a key element of air defense was made back in 2024, and the goal for 2026 — to bring their production to an industrial scale — has already become a reality.5 As of January 7, 2026, Ukraine has launched the production of about 1500 FPV-type interceptors per day, specially designed to combat Shaheds and other low-cost aerial targets.
These interceptor drones allow you to save on expensive anti-aircraft missiles and at the same time increase the density of defense during large-scale attacks, when the enemy launches dozens and hundreds of drones at energy infrastructure and cities.5 They take on the first strike against cheap targets, leaving the "hard work" to high-cost air defense systems that concentrate on medium- and long-range missiles.
How the architecture of counteraction to the Shahed is changing
According to the Ukrainian government, since December last year, military units have been receiving more than 1500 specialized anti-drone interceptors every day — these are no longer experimental batches, but a serial flow that has allowed the creation of separate units of "drone hunters."5 Such units operate on the front lines and along the routes that Russian drones typically take to major cities.
In parallel, separate training centers are being formed where interceptor crews are taught tactics for hunting "Shaheeds" - particularly in conditions of electronic warfare, when GPS can be jammed and communications unstable.5 6 Separate “interception zones” are being created far from cities to shoot down drones before they enter the airspace over densely populated areas.
AI, the “wall of drones” and Fedorov’s vision
In an interview with Resilience Media, Fedorov explains: the ministry's strategy is to make drones with computer vision and elements of artificial intelligence a basic tool on the front, not an exotic.6 9 This is not only about strike UAVs, but also about interceptors, which AI helps identify the target, keep it in the frame, and act when communication with the operator is unstable due to electronic warfare.
UNITED24 Media describes the concept of the DWS-1 digital “drone wall” — a system built around FPV interceptors that are controlled in semi-autonomous mode via a centralized command post.5 The idea is that a small number of operators can control large groups of interceptors, reducing the dependence on "clean" GPS and a stable radio channel - this is what the enemy most often hits with its electronic warfare (EW) means.
How is this related to the appointment of Elizarov?
This is where Pavel Yelizarov's role comes in. The new deputy commander of the Air Force should become a bridge between Fedorov's technological vision and the combat practice of aviation and air defense.1 6 He will be responsible for integrating interceptors and electronic warfare systems into the overall architecture of the Air Force — from the formation of individual drone units to the implementation of unified management standards.
It's not just about technology, but also about data management: radar stations, acoustic sensors, surveillance cameras, and intelligence should converge into unified command centers, where algorithms and officers will make decisions about which means to use in a specific situation.6 This level of integration requires someone who understands both the military vertical and the logic of digital products — and this is where Yelizarov's experience in the Ministry of Digital Affairs' projects becomes critically important.
Drone revolution in the Ministry of Defense: how the focus changed with the arrival of Fedorov
Bloomberg and Ukrainian media described the appointment of Mykhailo Fedorov as Minister of Defense as Zelensky's bet on technological warfare — from scaling up UAV production to intensively introducing digital products into combat operations.4 His arrival means a shift in emphasis: fewer paper procedures, more automation, faster contracts, and a focus on startups that can quickly adapt to the needs of the front.
At the same time, in public speeches, Fedorov emphasizes that the "anti-drone dome" is only part of a bigger picture, where, along with air systems, ground robotic complexes, detection systems, and software and hardware platforms for managing combat data should also be developed.6 9 Yelizarov's appointment to the Air Force fits into this logic as one of the key nodes — responsible for the very area where drones and air defense actually merge into one domain.
Ukraine as a drone warfare training ground for Europe
UNITED24 Media emphasizes: the pace at which Ukraine is building its "anti-drone dome" is already ahead of European projects such as "Drone Wall» — initiatives of NATO's eastern flank countries to create anti-drone systems along their borders.5 While European governments are only testing concepts of integrated drone interception systems, Ukraine is implementing them in real-time and high-intensity threat mode.
This explains why Western partners are closely monitoring Ukrainian solutions in the field of interceptors and AI in air defense: the technologies that are currently being tested over Kharkiv or the Dnieper will tomorrow become a base for protecting Warsaw, Bucharest, or Vilnius from Russian drone flights.5 6 In this perspective, the appointment of Yelizarov is not only an internal Ukrainian story, but also a signal to partners: a center of competence is being formed in Kyiv, which will set standards for all of Europe.
Is a "dome" enough when the enemy has thousands of drones?
Critics remind: Russia has already established the production of thousands of its own drones per month — from FPV to Molniya and modernized Shaheds — and is also actively adapting its air defense against Ukrainian strike UAVs.3 8 In this sense, the "anti-drone dome" cannot be a static structure: it must be constantly updated, receiving new types of interceptors, algorithms, and sensors.
For Ukraine, this means that Elizarov's appointment is just the beginning of work that will require not only technical ingenuity, but also the ability to organize the interaction of the army, private manufacturers, volunteers, and international partners.1 5 The ability to maintain this balance — between military discipline and startup speed — will be the real test for the new "anti-peace" vertical in the Air Force.
Why is this important for civilians?
For Ukrainians, the "anti-drone dome" is not only about protecting the front. It's about how often air raid sirens will be heard at night and whether energy workers, doctors, and rescuers will be able to work without constant threats from the sky.3 Each downed "Shahed" is not only a preserved transformer substation or warehouse, but also hundreds of apartments where the lights and heating do not turn off.
In this sense, the story with Elizarov is about very specific things: will there be a sky above cities that works for Ukrainian defense, not for Russian terror.1 5 If Fedorov and his team manage to make interceptor drones as familiar a part of security for Ukrainians as sirens and shelters were before, it will mean that the “anti-drone dome” over the country will cease to be a metaphor and become an everyday reality.
Sources
- Censor.NET: Interview with Mykhailo Fedorov about the appointment of Pavlo Yelizarov as Deputy Commander of the Air Force and the goal of building an "anti-drone dome" over Ukraine.
- UNN / Bloomberg: materials about Volodymyr Zelenskyy's bet on drone technology, the appointment of Mykhailo Fedorov as Minister of Defense, and the strengthening of the technological direction in the Ministry of Defense.
- DW and other international media: interview with Fedorov about army reform through technology, the development of drones and robotic systems, as well as Russia's advantage in massive strikes, which Ukraine compensates with technology.
- UNN: report on Ukraine's active contracting of drone interceptors and involvement of Ukrainian and foreign developers in the creation of systems to counter enemy UAVs.
- UNITED24 Media: analytical materials on increasing production to 1500 interceptors per day, the formation of separate units to combat "Shaheds", and the DWS-1 "drone wall" concept.
- Resilience Media: Interview with Mykhailo Fedorov on the use of artificial intelligence, computer vision, and drone swarms in Ukraine's multilayered defense.
- Ukrainian and international media: materials about the "Drone Wall" in Europe and the interest of NATO countries in the Ukrainian experience in creating integrated anti-drone systems.
