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| Ukraine Managed to Shoot Down 70% of Russian Missiles |
Kiev - A Ukrainian general says his country's air defense forces are capable of shooting down 50 to 70 percent of Russian missiles. Major General Mykola Zhirnov, leader of the Kiev City Military Administration, was asked by an ArmyInform correspondent whether the capital was reliably protected by anti-aircraft defenses, and would it no longer be threatened by rocket attacks? "As long as the enemy has missiles and air weapons, there will still be threats of air and missile strikes," Zhirnov replied.
"But 50 to 70 percent of Russian missiles were shot down by aircraft and by anti-aircraft missile units," he said. "But, unfortunately, today we cannot ensure the effectiveness of air defense operations 100%, this is due to objective reasons of insufficient number of reconnaissance equipment, aviation and anti-aircraft missile systems," he explained.
"Basically, this is a Soviet system, which does not have the same efficiency and reliability as the air defense equipment of NATO partner countries," he continued.
In an incident last month, the Ukrainian Air Force said it had shot down seven Russian missiles. Ukraine accused Moscow of firing its missiles from somewhere near the Caspian Sea, and that Kiev's anti-aircraft missile force and fighter jets were able to eliminate seven of the eight missiles fired.
On Friday last week, Ukraine said it had shot down a Russian reconnaissance plane called the "Cartograph". Ukrainian officials said the drone was used to adjust or regulate artillery fire or missile strikes.
“On September 02, at around 09:00 am, the Russian 'Cartograph' drone was eliminated in the sky over Mykolaiv by the anti-aircraft missile unit of the Air Force. The drone is part of the Ptero family of multipurpose unmanned systems (UAVs)," the Ukrainian Armed Forces Air Force Command wrote in a Facebook post.
Late last month, the Ukrainian military said it killed nearly 160 Russian soldiers after launching missile and artillery strikes as part of a retaliatory strike in southern Ukraine. The various Ukrainian military claims could not be independently verified. In contrast, the Russian military said Kiev's counter-offensive in southern Ukraine had failed.