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The Ukrainian Air Force has boasted about its air defense capabilities and the role of Western-supplied weapons in hitting Russian aerial targets.
A video released on Monday shows the Ukrainian operators of various weapons systems describe how they have used them against Russian aggression. It comes as reports of Russian aerial attacks continue unabated. The two-minute clip is set to dramatic music and marks Anti-Aircraft Forces Day, a holiday that was introduced in Ukraine in 2011 for anti-aircraft gunners.
"Today we honor the soldiers and the anti-aircraft missile troops," said one Ukrainian serviceman. "We stood up and fired. The Russians wanted to destroy our air defense the most," said another. One described how Russian forces thought they could get an "easy ride in the Ukrainian sky," adding "we stood up...and struck them."
The video shows the Soviet-era S-300 and Buk surface-to-air systems, which have been used by both sides in the war in Ukraine.
But the Ukrainian troops also show off the National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System (NASAMS) which Kyiv said it first received in November 2022 and are made by Norway's Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace (KDA) and U.S. company Raytheon.
On June 28, Lithuania said it would be two of the launcher systems for Ukraine for $10.7 million for delivery within three months, Reuters reported. This has followed Kyiv's repeated requests for help to boost its air defenses against Russian attacks.
The video also showed the IRIS-T air defense system which Germany announced in June 2022 it would supply Ukraine.
On display as well was the Patriot missile system, which the U.S. agreed to send to Kyiv in October 2022. It can target aircraft, cruise missiles and shorter-range ballistic missiles. Germany and the Netherlands have also pledged to sending Patriot systems to Ukraine.
"Soldiers from the anti-aircraft missile forces continue to destroy the occupier in the Ukrainian sky with the most modern weapons in the world," one Ukrainian soldier said in the video.
Ukraine's air force reported on Telegram on Monday that the country's air defenses had shot down 13 out of the 17 Iranian-made Shahed drones that Russia launched overnight.
The other four drones did not reach their targets, according to the Ukrainian Air Force, which added there were no immediate reports of casualties.
Ukrainian officials also reported on Monday that Russian attacks had targeted 11 regfons over the past day. In the Donetsk region, Russian attacks killed two people and left three injured, the governor Pavlo Kyrylenko said.
Newsweek has contacted the Russian Defense Ministry for comment.
About the writer
Brendan Cole is a Newsweek Senior News Reporter based in London, UK. His focus is Russia and Ukraine, in particular ... Read more