Ukrainian defence minister inspects Air Force units in Kyiv Oblast, discusses layered defence of capital

Ukrainian Defence Minister Yevhenii Khmara has visited command posts at Air Force units in Kyiv Oblast, where he discussed the detection, tracking and destruction of aerial assets during combat operations.

Source: Ukrainian Ministry of Defence

Quote from the Ministry of Defence: "The military and I have discussed the change in Russian terror tactics and new challenges, particularly for the capital region. We focused on the combat process: detecting and tracking aerial targets, making decisions and destroying aerial threats."

Details: The ministry notes that the task for the sky defenders is clear: to destroy Russian aerial assets before they reach the capital.

"Together, we have identified which approaches need to be changed and how to strengthen the layered defence of Kyiv. Aircraft, air defence and mobile fire groups – all components must adapt their operations to the new realities," the defence ministry said.

Khmara also spoke with combat pilots and air defence system operators about their assessment of the situation and discussed the units' available assets, personnel and needs in detail.

Quote from the Ministry of Defence: "Special attention is being paid to jet-powered Shahed attack drones. Units are already successfully engaging these assets. We now need to scale up effective technological solutions and equip more units with them. We are working on this together with the military, Ukrainian manufacturers and our partners."

Background:

• Russia has recently significantly increased its strikes on Kyiv and the surrounding oblast. In addition, drone hits on civilian infrastructure have become more frequent.
• As a result of Russian attacks since the beginning of the day on 28 September alone, two people have been killed and 26 injured in Kyiv.
• Specifically, on the afternoon of 28 September, a Russian drone hit the building of the National Academy of Sciences in Kyiv.
• Also in Kyiv, seven people, six of whom were staff members, were injured in a Russian strike on the Dobrobut medical centre on Antonovych Street.
• The Kremlin has declared that Ukraine will have to "pay the price" for its actions in recent months and that the Russian military is delivering corresponding strikes.

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