Air defense ineffective against artillery strikes in frontline cities, says Ukrainian Air Force spokesman
A building in Mykolayiv damaged by the shelling of the Russian forces (Photo:Press service of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine/Handout via REUTERS)
When ask to comment on a petition requesting the government to strengthen air defense in Kharkiv and other front-line regions, Yuriy Ihnat, Ukrainian Air Forces command spokesperson, the frontline cities (Kharkiv, Dnipro, Mykolaiv, and Zaporizhzhia) suffer primarily of rocket and cannon artillery.
And due to the threat of such shelling, the air alert signal activates f there is information about shelling by Grad, Tornado, or Uragan systems, Ihnat said on Aug. 7.
"Locals also perceive it as a missile attack, although it is an attack by rocket artillery, against which, unfortunately, air defense is powerless," Ihnat added.
He also noted that anti-aircraft missile systems cannot shoot down such targets, as such missiles are designed to shoot down other air targets.
Ihnat stressed the need to step up crushing the enemy from where it delivers these blows. For this, in particular, new weapons from international partners are necessary.
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