Residents of the capital Kiev in a shelter when an air strike was announced – Photo: NPR
Many layers of mid-range and long-range defense
At the beginning of the war, the Ukrainian side reused medium-range missile systems from the Soviet era such as the S-300 long-range surface-to-air missile system or the Buck M1 missile complex to protect the capital Kiev.
Currently, the missile defense system in the capital Kiev has been reinforced by Germany’s short-range Gepard missile systems and the US Avenger short-range air defense system to intercept drones. and cruise missiles.
Meanwhile, in the medium-range defense layer, Ukraine is using the American MIM-23 Hawk medium-range air defense missile produced by Raytheon, and the NASAMS surface-to-air missile system of Raytheon in cooperation with Kongsberg Group. of Norway and the German IRIS-T SLM missile system.
In addition, Ukraine also uses the PAC-3 long-range defense system from Patriot (USA) and the SAMP-T system from air defense missile manufacturer Eurosam sent by France and Italy.
Mr. Serhiy Popko – head of the Kiev Capital Military Administration – told the newspaper Politico that the Ukrainian air defense force has demonstrated the ability to integrate modern air defense systems with old air defense systems dating back to the Soviet era.
“We are still looking for support from our allies and partners. We need more diverse air defense systems. Each anti-aircraft missile complex is “as precious as gold” not only for Kiev but also for other regions of Ukraine,” Mr. Popko said.
Sheet Politico It is estimated that perhaps because of the strong defense, people from other war zones have evacuated to Kiev city and the surrounding areas around the capital.
“People from the Patriot, Dnipro, Zaporizhzhia regions began to move to Kiev and look for homes in this capital. Because according to them, Kiev is better protected and less likely to be a target for missiles than their hometown,” said Oleksandr Zhytiuk, a local real estate broker.
Still a war zone
Kiev people celebrate Christmas 2022 – Photo: NPR
However, the capital Kiev is still not really a safe place, because Russia has begun resuming attacks on this area since last weekend.
Mr. Popko said air raid sirens sounded almost every day, while Ukrainian officials still urged people in the capital to be cautious.
“With a series of added air defense systems, the level of protection of the capital from air attacks has become better. But I still have to reiterate that the best defense is to go to a shelter when there is an air raid warning. Because even if the missile we shoot down falls, it can create a lot of debris,” Mr. Popko commented.
The Ukrainian government called on its allies to send more air defense systems to protect other cities.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Kiev wants to cooperate in producing weapons with partners.
At the same time, Mr. Zelensky hopes that allies will send more air defense systems later this year to be able to counter attacks on energy infrastructure, rumored to be deployed by Russia in the winter. next.
