The commander of the 96th anti-aircraft missile brigade, of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Colonel Serhii Yaremenko, told about this in an interview with Ukrainian Ukrinform state media agency.
According to him, Patriot surface-to air systems, which were provided to Ukraine by allies, helps shoot down the russian Kinzhal-type as well as other missiles.
Read more: Two More Patriots for Ukraine: U.S. Sends Whole Unit, and the Netherlands Provides the Core
As Colonel Serhii Yaremenko noted, that after receiving the Patriot SAM system, all Kinzhal ballistic missiles launched by russia at Kyiv have been intercepted. In particular, since then, the russian troops have fired a total of more than 20 Kinzhal missiles at the Ukrainian capital.
"When we are working against ballistics, it does not matter to us whether it is a Kinzhal Kh-47M, Iskander-M, 48N (a missile using S-400), or Zircon launched from the Bastion missile system. For us, this is primarily a ballistic target. Only then do analysts and experts identify what kind of air target it was based on certain characteristics and wreckage. I will say one thing: all the Kinzhals that have been launched at the capital of Ukraine since it was announced that the Patriot anti-aircraft missile system was put on combat duty have been successfully intercepted," the commander of Ukrainian 96th anti-aircraft missile brigade said.
Serhii Yaremenko stressed that not a single ballistic missile has hit the target in Kyiv since May last year. According to him the russian forces have stopped actively attacking Ukraine’s capital, as the Ukrainian Defense Forces are repelling the attacks.
"russia, having available means, determines the list of targets for attack. Perhaps, at this time, it is interested in other targets. But periodically, of course, important state facilities in the Kyiv region also come under enemy attacks. We are ready for such challenges every day, every second, at any time of the day," Colonel Serhii Yaremenko said.
At the same time, the brigade commander underlined that the most effective way to combat russia's bombs is to destroy the carrier of a guided aerial bomb.
"If there is no carrier, there will be no guided air bomb. We have weapons that are capable of doing this, but they are not enough. We need weapons, we need anti-aircraft guided missiles for this," Serhii Yaremenko noted.
As Defense Express reported, Ukraine Got Priority in Getting AIM-120 and Patriot Air Defense Missiles. We also wrote, that Kinzhal Missile Incorporated Numerous Western-Origin Components.
Read more: Patriot SAMbush: New Details on Ukraine's Destruction of a russian A-50 in January 2024
