Find, Aim, Shoot.
The training also included Ukrainian air defense personnel, who worked around the clock to counter a relentless barrage of missiles fired at Kiev by Russian forces and nearly stopped the most violent bombing of the capital since the war began in weeks. .
In May alone, Russia shelled Kiev 17 times. It launched hypersonic missiles from MIG-31 fighter jets and struck ground-based ballistic missiles powerful enough to destroy entire apartment complexes. Russian bombers and ships launched dozens of long-range cruise missiles and more than 200 attack drones launched blitz attacks aimed at disrupting and overpowering Ukraine’s air defenses.
It is a constant struggle for the Ukrainian defender. Russian attacks are relentless. They come mainly at night, but sometimes during the day, like on Mondays.
Even if Ukraine were able to launch missiles from the air, falling debris could still cause death and destruction. Early Thursday morning, Russia fired a salvo of 10 ballistic missiles into Kiev. All were shot down, but falling debris killed three people, including a child, and injured more than a dozen, Ukrainian officials said.
But overall, few have penetrated the complex and sophisticated air defense network around the Ukrainian capital, saving many lives.
“We have no rest,” said Riabii. A 26-year-old with the call sign “Shooter” is part of a two-man anti-aircraft missile crew tasked with protecting a section of the sky outside Kiev.
Ukraine’s air defense system is a patchwork of various weapons, many of them newly supplied by the West, that protect millions of civilians in Kiev and other cities and are in operation. protects critical infrastructure, including four of its nuclear power plants. Tom Karako, director of the Missile Defense Project at the Washington Center for Strategic and International Studies, called it “kind of like a dog’s breakfast.”
Like Riabi, there are hundreds armed with US-made surface-to-air Stinger missiles and other hand-held weapons. There are also many who operate more complex launch vehicles that have recently emerged, such as Patriot (USA), NASAMS (Norwegian-American), and SAMP/T (French-Italian). Ukraine also uses a mix of German Gepard antiaircraft guns and Soviet-era air defense systems.
Ukrainian military intelligence spokesman Andriy Yusov said the recent air raids aimed at the capital were intended to exhaust air defense systems and deliver a powerful symbolic blow to the heart of the ancient city, sowing seeds. It said it was a “massive and unprecedented” attack. terrorism.
President Volodymyr Zelensky once again thanked the “defenders of the sky” in an address to the nation on Tuesday evening. Fighting in the air is just as important as the bloody struggles of soldiers on the ground, he declared.
According to the Ukrainian Air Force, air defense teams have recently shot down about 90 percent of incoming missiles and drones, and an astonishing 100 percent of ballistic missiles aimed at Kiev. These statistics could not be independently verified.
Air defense assets will also be important in the looming Ukrainian counterattack. They will keep their newly acquired weapons safe for combat and help Ukrainian forces should they break through Russian lines.
Riabi and his partner Oleg, 38, are responsible for protecting an empty area of about 10 square kilometers outside Kiev. When the alarm goes off, he said, they rush from the base in the Kiev district to one of the few covert firing sites outside the city, stripping the tarpaulin of the truck-loaded Stinger system and readying it.
While demonstrating the procedure at a secret location on the outskirts of Kiev recently, he said, “When an air target approaches our space, our commander gives the first order: find it and destroy it.” said.
After the team opens fire, their location is revealed and they must move within two minutes or risk being targeted.
A Ukrainian trident marks the success on the side of the team’s track. His two tridents at the beginning represent the downed Russian fighters in the first days of the war. They then said they shot down six Orlan reconnaissance drones, two Russian attack helicopters and two Iranian-made Shahed drones.
But empty and continued success is not guaranteed.
Leaked Pentagon documents released in April show Russia gaining air superiority as Ukraine runs out of Soviet-designed S-300 and Buksystem anti-aircraft missiles, which remain the backbone of Ukraine’s air defense. He expressed deep concern about the possibility.
Since this analysis leaked, Ukraine’s Western allies have stepped up their supply of new systems and ammunition. With the arrival of two Patriot squadrons in late April, Ukraine has its first system designed to shoot down ballistic missiles.
Still, Ukraine has to make difficult decisions about how to deploy its limited resources.
Karako of the Missile Defense Project said the recent strike on Kiev showed “how stressful and difficult a coordinated air raid can be”, adding that as Russia seeks to wear down its defenses, Ukraine He stressed the need to continue building defense capabilities.
Ukrainian and Western officials say Russia likely has a shortage of high-precision missiles and is increasing its reliance on low-precision missiles and drones, but Moscow remains steadfast. It shows that you have the ability to attack at a tempo of .
More than 5,000 missiles and attack drones have been launched at targets across Ukraine since Russia launched a full-scale invasion 15 months ago, according to a recent study by the Institute for Strategic and International Studies. bottom.
But the study found that, like Russian ground attacks, air raids failed to produce the strategic military effect Russia desired, and that Ukrainian air defenses “deeply sway the course of the war and limit Russia’s striking power.” I did.
Yusov, head of Ukrainian military intelligence, said Russia changed its tactics after bombing civilian infrastructure and cities in the winter and early spring but failed to cripple Ukraine.
He said the Russian government is now targeting more military installations to undermine a Ukrainian counterattack, but it is also setting its sights on Kiev, an “unconquered target for the aggressor.” said there is.
Peter Mitchell, a contributor to the Institute for Modern Warfare at West Point, wrote that a barrage “uses a combination of land-, sea-, or air-launched missile platforms to launch airborne targets more than defenders can handle.” It’s designed to meet that,” he said. “
For the residents of Kiev, the almost nightly air raids bring fatigue and fear. Usually the first alarm goes off after midnight and the assault continues for several hours.
“We are checking information to try to understand where what is flying from,” said Natalia Ulyanitska, a 32-year-old human rights activist in Kiev.
Many track radar reports, follow Telegram channels that provide real-time information about looming threats, and know how long it is between the screams of air raid sirens and the detonation of bombs.
People in Kiev typically evacuate if threatened by a bomber taking off from one of 39 Russian bases used by Ukrainian officials to attack them, or by an Iranian strike drone with a top speed of about 194 mph. takes several hours.
But ballistic missiles are different. Since he can hit the capital within 15 minutes of launch, he has little precious time to do more than rush out the window or brace himself.
“When there is a massive missile attack, I go to the bathroom with my cat,” said Ulyanitzka.
More worried than frightened, she said she was “very angry.”
She knows when Russian drones and missiles will arrive by the thunderous explosions in the sky. Even if an air defense team successfully shoots down a target, they risk falling flaming debris onto the streets below.
In Kiev last month, falling debris killed or injured several people and damaged dozens of businesses and apartment buildings.
Gunner Riabi said he had to learn on the job. He was still training at a base in western Ukraine when Russia invaded.
Pregnant with their first child, his wife fled from her home in northern Kiev before Russian troops occupied the village. Mr. Riabii was sent to Kiev.
His daughter was born in May, but he met her for the first time in December. They spent several days together, after which he had to return to his post so that she could sleep safely.
Anna Lukinova contributed to the report.
