Yurii Ihnat

Russia ramps up jet-powered drone attacks on Kyiv – Air Force

Russian forces increased their use of jet-powered attack drones fivefold in July compared with June, and that figure is expected to climb further in August as Russia recognizes that Ukraine's Defense Forces have achieved a very high interception rate — around 90% — against standard Shahed drones, while jet-powered variants are shot down at a lower rate, Yurii Ihnat, head of communications for Ukraine's Air Force Command, said on Aug. 31, during a broadcast of the United News telethon.

31 August, 03:45 PM

Russia rapidly expands jet drone use

In July, Russia launched five times as many jet-powered drones at Ukraine as it did in June, Ukrainian Air Force spokesperson Yurii Ihnat said on Aug. 10.

11 August, 02:15 AM

Russia has accumulated missiles for possible new attacks, Ihnat says

Ukraine faces a heightened threat of Russian ballistic missile strikes in the coming days, Ukrainian Air Force Communications Department chief Yurii Ihnat said on national TV broadcast on July 24.

24 July, 05:16 PM

Air Force warning: Russia has not reduced drone attacks on Ukraine

Russia has not reduced its use of drones against Ukraine but is shifting the balance between drone and missile strikes, Ukrainian Air Force Communications Directorate head Yurii Ihnat said during the United News telethon.

21 July, 11:41 AM

Patriot missile shortage leaves Kyiv vulnerable to Russian ballistic attacks

Ukraine has nearly exhausted its stockpile of Patriot interceptor missiles, leaving Russian ballistic missile attacks, including strikes on Kyiv, largely unchallenged, The Wall Street Journal reported on July 6.

6 July, 07:11 PM

Kyiv attack shows Russia benefited from Patriot missile shortage

Russia's overnight missile attack on Kyiv exposed a shortage of Patriot interceptor missiles, with Ukraine's air defenses failing to intercept six Zircon cruise missiles and 23 Iskander ballistic missiles, Defense Express reported on July 6.

6 July, 02:47 PM

Air Force's Ihnat warns when Russia may repeat mass strike on Ukraine

Russia may shorten the pause between massive strikes on Ukraine, but its capabilities are not unlimited, Ukrainian Air Force communications chief Yuriy Ihnat said during the United News telethon program on July 6.

6 July, 01:54 PM

Ukraine downs nearly all cruise missiles in massive Russian attack on Kyiv

The latest attack by Russian forces on Kyiv was one of the most massive, while the main challenge for Ukrainian air defenses remains countering ballistic missiles, the head of communications for the Ukrainian Air Force, Yurii Ihnat, said during a national telethon broadcast on July 2.

2 July, 04:56 PM

Ukraine can shoot down Russian Zircon missiles, but only if Patriot missiles are available – Air Force

Ukraine is capable of destroying Russian Zircon missiles when they fly on a ballistic trajectory, but its air defenses often lack the necessary means to do so, Yurii Ihnat, head of communications for Ukraine’s Air Force, said during the United News telethon program on June 29.

29 June, 07:41 PM

Air Force comments on shutdown of relay stations in Belarus

The shutdown of relay stations in Belarus has weakened Russia’s ability to control kamikaze drones in real time, making it significantly harder for Russian forces to carry out precise strikes on Ukraine, even though the drones themselves “have not gone anywhere,” Yurii Ihnat, head of communications for Ukraine’s Air Force, said during the United News telethon program on June 29.

29 June, 06:51 PM

Air Force explains how Russia changed tactics in record-scale overnight attack

Russia did not use sea-launched Kalibr cruise missiles during its massive overnight attack on Ukraine on June 15, instead relying on ground-launched cruise missiles and ballistic weapons, Yurii Ihnat, head of communications for the Ukrainian Air Force Command, told NV.

15 June, 04:58 PM

Russia launches Zircon missiles from north in June 2 attack, Ukrainian Air Force says

Russia launched Zircon missiles at Ukraine from a northern direction during its mass overnight attack on June 2, a shift from previous strikes in which the missiles were fired from occupied Crimea, Yurii Ihnat, head of communications for Ukraine’s Air Force, said during the Ranok.LIVE broadcast.

2 June, 12:51 PM

Air Force spokesman comments on whether SAMP/T can intercept ballistic missiles

Yurii Ihnat told Radio NV that Ukraine hopes its SAMP/T air defense systems will be capable of intercepting ballistic missiles, though such use has not yet been confirmed in combat on May 27.

27 May, 11:43 AM

Ukraine says defenses stopped most drones, missiles in Russia’s 30-hour assault

Ukrainian air defenses destroyed 93% of drones and 72% of missiles Russia launched during its large-scale attack on May 13 and 14, even as Moscow tried to overwhelm Ukraine’s defenses with repeated waves of strikes, Yuriy Ihnat, head of communications for the Air Force, said in an interview with Novyny.LIVE on May 22.

22 May, 02:08 PM

Ukrainian Air Force comments on Russian R-60 missile debris

Russian forces are using R-60 air-to-air missiles containing inactive depleted uranium in attacks on Ukraine, but the public should not panic over reports about radioactive components in the weapon, Yuriy Ihnat, head of communications at the Ukrainian Air Force, said on Novyny.LIVE on May 21.

21 May, 11:55 AM

Russia used 90% decoy drones in one Kyiv assault to overwhelm air defenses, Air Force says

During one of the recent attacks on Kyiv a few weeks ago, roughly 90% of all aerial targets launched by Russian forces were Parodiya decoy drones — a deliberate effort to probe Ukraine's air defenses and drain its limited supply of interceptor missiles, Air Force Communications Chief Yurii Ihnat said on May 19 during the national telethon program.

19 May, 06:03 PM

Ihnat warns of renewed Russian missile attacks on Ukraine after May 14 strikes

Ukrainian Air Force spokesperson Yurii Ihnat cautioned that Russia could launch renewed missile attacks on Ukraine after the large-scale strikes on May 14, at the national news broadcast.

14 May, 02:01 PM

Russia upgrades Shahed strikes with live guidance from inside its own territory

Russia is improving its ability to control Shahed drones in real time from inside Russia using mesh networks, mobile networks and new targeting methods, Yurii Ihnat, head of communications for Ukraine’s Air Force Command, said on April 21.

21 April, 01:03 PM

Ihnat warns Patriot missile shortage in Ukraine is 'very serious'

Yurii Ihnat said a shortage of missiles for Patriot air defense system in Ukraine is “a very serious” issue, speaking on national TV on Apr. 16.

16 April, 01:29 PM

Ukraine downs 100% of Russian cruise missiles in overnight attack

Ukraine's air defenses shot down 100% of Russian cruise missiles launched during a massive overnight attack on critical infrastructure on March 14, a rare achievement, Air Force spokesman Col. Yurii Ihnat said during the national telethon program.

14 March, 12:15 PM

Yurii Ihnat

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