Ukraine’s Air Force: Russia intended to evade air defense in Kyiv attack with short-range Iskander missiles, inflicting swifter damage

Russia attacked Kyiv on Thursday night with ten missiles from the Iskander operational-tactical rocket complex. The Russian invaders fired ballistic and cruise missiles. Three people died in the attack, including a 9-year-old child.

Rubryka reports, citing the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the statement of the spokesman of the Air Force Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Colonel Yurii Ihnat, during the national telethon.

Around 2:45 a.m., the Russian forces attacked the capital of Ukraine from the northern direction, Russia's Bryansk region. 

Air defense forces shot down all targets: seven Iskander-M ballistic missiles and three Iskander-K cruise missiles.

Attacking Kyiv with Iskander missiles, the Russian occupiers want to strike unexpectedly, so there is little time to hide in shelters, and the air defense cannot react as quickly, says Yurii Ihnat.

"And with what other weapons can they strike so quickly and effectively? There were attempts to strike with S-400 missiles, specifically in the Kyiv region. The enemy uses these operational-tactical complexes to give us a minimum of time to react to these things," he explained.

Ihnat gave the following example. Let's say cruise missiles fly from the Caspian or the Black Sea. Then there is about an hour to react and take cover. In contrast, with Iskanders, it is a matter of minutes.

"The enemy wants to be caught off guard so our air defense cannot react. But, as we can see, it worked this time, too," he said.

Background

On the night of June 1, the Russian forces continued a series of insidious mass attacks on the capital. Explosions and air defense operations were heard in different areas of the city. Missile debris fell in three districts of Kyiv.

 

"A 33-year-old woman and a 34-year-old mother with a 9-year-old daughter died in the Russian strike of the medical facility in the Desnianskyi district of the city (the information has been clarified, the police initially reported on the 11-year-old dead child – ed.). Eleven more citizens were injured of varying degrees of severity," the police reported.

Buildings and parked cars were also damaged in several districts of the capital. Police officers document the consequences of a Russian attack.

Yaroslav, a resident of the capital whose wife was killed during the attack by the Russians on June 1, said that people ran to the shelter at night, but no one opened it for them. The authorities are currently investigating why there was no access to the shelter in the polyclinic during the night attack.