Air Force sets up command of small air defence as new chief appointed, Ukraine's defence minister says

Colonel Yevhenii Khlebnikov has been appointed to lead the small air defence branch now being formed within the Air Force under the supervision of Pavlo Yelizarov, deputy commander of the Ukrainian Air Force.

Source: Ukraine's Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov on social media

Quote: "Russia attacks Ukrainian cities every day with hundreds of drones. More than 6,000 UAVs [were deployed] in the past month alone. Strikes on apartment buildings, critical infrastructure, trains – the terror against peaceful Ukrainians does not stop. The enemy is constantly improving drone modifications and attack tactics to reach its targets. Every day brings a new risk, for instance UAVs with Starlink.

In order to respond rapidly to every new challenge, we must build a system to analyse, counter and anticipate future threats. That requires an effective small air defence system and interceptors. On the president's instruction, we are changing our approach to protecting the skies to increase the effectiveness of countering enemy attacks."

Details: Fedorov reiterated that Pavlo "Lazar" Yelizarov was recently appointed deputy commander of the Ukrainian Air Force. Under his leadership, the small air defence command is being formed, with Colonel Yevhenii Khlebnikov appointed to head the direction.

Fedorov said that Khlebnikov's key task is to build a system capable of responding quickly to emerging challenges in order to protect Ukraine's skies.

Ukraine's Ministry of Defence said that Khlebnikov brings both frontline and leadership experience. He has served in Air Force anti-aircraft missile units and worked in the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on the development of air defence.

From the first days of the full-scale war, Khlebnikov led the use of Bayraktar UAVs during the defence of the city of Kyiv and Chernihiv Oblast and took part in planning the operation to liberate Zmiinyi (Snake). In 2014-2015, he fought in the battles for Donetsk airport.

Quote: "In the near future, we will strengthen command and control in every region and continue building a strong team to develop small air defence.

These are the first decisions of the reshaped Ministry of Defence team to build an effective system to protect Ukraine's skies. But there are still many steps ahead to deliver results and improve interception efficiency."

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