Ukraine to update its national security strategy within three months and prepare cities for all-round defence

Two decrees on the same day

On 26 October President Volodymyr Zelensky signed decrees No. 1066/2026 and No. 1067/2026, putting into effect two decisions of the National Security and Defence Council (NSDC). The first concerns updating Ukraine’s National Security Strategy; the second concerns building engineering barriers for the all-round defence of towns and cities. Both were published on the president’s website and took effect on the day of publication.

What changes for the National Security Strategy

Decree No. 1066/2026 enacts the NSDC decision of 5 October 2026 “On updating the National Security Strategy of Ukraine”. The current strategy was approved by presidential decree No. 392/2020 of 14 September 2020 and amended by decree No. 16/2025 of 6 January 2025.

Under the decision, the NSDC secretary is to organise the review of the document. The NSDC staff, together with the National Institute for Strategic Studies, must prepare proposals for amendments within three months, involving the relevant state bodies, civil society institutions and foreign experts. The proposals will then be considered by the Council. The NSDC secretary is responsible for overseeing implementation.

According to Slovo i Dilo, the aim of the update is to define current directions of state policy on national security. The strategy is the core document which, as Kyiv24 notes, sets out priority national interests, the main threats to the state and policy directions in defence, international cooperation and protecting sovereignty.

All-round defence of cities

With the second decree, No. 1067/2026, Zelensky enacted the NSDC decision of 25 September on building a belt of engineering barriers to ensure proper defence of cities. The document provides for setting up such barriers and defining the mechanisms for creating them in order to organise the all-round defence of populated areas.

Details such as which cities, timelines and funding have not been disclosed in public reports.

Why now

The current strategy was adopted in 2020, before the full-scale invasion. Since then Ukraine has been at war for more than four years, and the European security environment, the nature of threats (massive drone and ballistic missile strikes on cities and energy) and the formats of cooperation with partners have all changed.

The decisions come amid intense diplomacy. As Ukrinform reported, on 25 October Zelensky announced a security meeting in Brussels with representatives of the United States, Ukraine, the European Union and NATO to discuss initiatives to end the war. On the same day as the decrees, 26 October, parliament extended martial law and general mobilisation for another 90 days, until 29 January 2027; the bills were presented by NSDC Secretary Ihor Klymenko.

What comes next

If the timeline holds, proposals for the updated strategy should be ready around the end of January 2027. After consideration at an NSDC meeting, a new version would, like previous ones, be approved by presidential decree. The involvement of civil society and foreign experts suggests that part of the discussion may take place beyond closed offices.