Ukraine will speed up the placement of anti-drone nets over roads in frontline areas, aiming to cover 4,000km of roads by the end of this year, the defence minister has said. A growing number of nets have been installed over the past year but more were needed, Mykhailo Fedorov said, adding that an additional 1.6bn hryvnias ($37m) had been allocated from the budget to bolster protection measures and counter Russian drones. Moscow has been targeting military supply routes and rear bases deeper and deeper into Ukraine with the remotely piloted aircraft and drones have also struck hospitals, infrastructure and civilian traffic. Nets can snag propellers and prevent drones from reaching their targets. “In just one month, we increased the speed [of coverage] from 5km per day in January to 12km in February,” Fedorov said on Telegram on Wednesday. “This significantly improved the safety of military movements and ensured stable functioning of frontline communities. In March, we plan to close 20km of roads per day.”

Russian strikes in multiple Ukrainian cities wounded 23 people including a child, officials said on Thursday, before US-Ukraine talks in Geneva aimed at ending Russia’s war. The Ukrainian air force reported high-speed targets heading towards the capital shortly before Tymur Tkachenko, head of Kyiv’s military administration, said Russia was striking the city with drones and ballistic missiles. Kyiv police said debris caused fires and damage in three districts. In the north-eastern city of Kharkiv and a nearby village, 14 people were wounded, among them a seven-year-old boy, said the regional chief, Oleg Synegubov. Towards the south, Zaporizhzhia also came under heavy fire, with regional head Ivan Fedorov saying seven people were wounded after strikes damaged 19 apartment blocks, four houses and other buildings. In the central city of Kryvyi Rig, two people were wounded, regional chief Oleksandr Ganzha said.