Ukraine is seeking Western support with air defense systems against Russia’s advanced missiles and drones
The Ukrainian capital, Kiev, was subjected, at dawn, to a series of Russian air attacks, which were confronted by the Ukrainian defense systems, according to what was reported by the Ukrainian News Agency.
Ukraine confirmed that it shot down six Russian “Kinjal” hypersonic missiles in the night attack, which is a type of weapon that is difficult to intercept, according to Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov.
While the Russian Ministry of Defense announced that “the Russian hypersonic Kinjal missile hit the American-made Patriot anti-missile system in Kiev with precision,” and Russian media quoted a high-ranking Russian source denying Kiev’s allegations of shooting down the Kinjal missile.
This is the eighth air attack on Kiev since the beginning of May, as the military authority in Kiev stated in a statement on Telegram that the attack, which was carried out with eighteen missiles, was “complex and exceptional” in its intensity, during which a large number of missiles were launched in a short period. Too, and from different directions. It is believed that the attack used drones, cruise missiles and possibly ballistic missiles, according to the Ukrainian authorities.
“Another remarkable feat of the Ukrainian Air Force last night! Defenders of our skies shot down six Russian Kinjal hypersonic missiles and 12 more,” Reznikov wrote on Twitter.
The Ukrainian statement added that some debris from the explosions fell on a number of neighborhoods of the city, and at least three people were injured in the Solomyansky district.
Firefighters deal with a site damaged by shrapnel from a rocket that fell in Kiev
Sirens also sounded in Ukraine’s Nikolaev, Odessa, Dnepropetrovsk and Vinnytsia provinces, announcing possible Russian air strikes.
Ukraine has declared a state of air alert throughout its territory.
The capital was subjected to a massive attack on the night of May 14, during which the air defense announced that it had shot down 25 drones and three cruise missiles.
And the governor of the Russian Bryansk region, Alexander Bogmaz, stated that the Russian air defense forces shot down a Ukrainian march in Klintsy in the Bryansk region, and confirmed that the accident did not cause any injuries. However, one of the houses suffered minor damage after the march crashed, according to Bogmaz.
Russian sources say that civilian sites in the Bryansk region, located on the border with Ukraine, are subject to various attacks by Ukrainian forces.
Missiles and dronesABritish t
The UK has pledged to send hundreds of air defense missiles and military drones to Ukraine, in addition to the Storm Shadow cruise missiles announced last week.
The Russian presidential spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, warned that the increase in British aid would lead to “more destruction, but it will not have a significant impact on the course” of the conflict, he said.
Yesterday, Russia announced that it had shot down a Storm Shadow missile, which is the model that Britain recently delivered to Ukraine, according to a statement by the Russian Ministry of Defense.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak after visits to Rome, Berlin and Paris. Zelensky said it was important for the West to send fighter jets as well.
But Sunak replied that providing combat aircraft is “not an easy task”, although he stressed that his country will play a “major role among the coalition countries” that provide this support.
Preparations for the “Counterattack”
Many observers expect that Ukraine will launch a counterattack against the Russian forces in the near future, as part of an attempt to regain the occupied lands.
Ukraine continues to prepare for a long-awaited counterattack against Russian forces, and last week Zelensky told the BBC that his country needed more weapons before it could launch an offensive.
And Ukraine announced that it had achieved “the first success” in its attack in the vicinity of the city of Bakhmut, located in eastern Ukraine, where the battles have been concentrated for months, and which have become mostly in the hands of the Russians.
On the other hand, Russia says that it is making progress inside this city, which it has been trying to control since last summer, despite reports of its heavy losses there, and without succeeding in controlling the city so far.
But the time for the counter-attack, which was announced to be imminent, has not yet come, according to Zelinsky, who confirmed the “preparation” for the operations, stressing on the other hand that Kiev “needs more time.”
Storm Shadow cruise missiles can be used to destroy Russian positions on occupied Ukrainian territory. The missiles would give Ukraine new capabilities as it prepares to launch a counterattack against Russia.
It means that these long-range missiles are launched from aircraft, and thus the Ukrainian pilots will be able to stay away from the front lines.
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2023-05-16 16:18:45
