Zelensky: Ukraine needs additional SAMP/T or Patriot systems to protect port city of Odesa
Photo: Vitalii Nosach/ RBK-Ukraine
To protect Odesa and the port area of the region from the air, Ukraine needs additional SAMP/T or Patriot air defense systems.
The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, stated this at a press conference in Kyiv on July 19 after a meeting with the Prime Minister of Ireland, Leo Varadkar, Interfax-Ukraine reports.
"There are two systems as of today. I negotiated with President Macron and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni when we got SAMP/T. We won't say now where those systems are, but they work great," the Ukrainian leader said. "If we had appropriate additional systems, they would protect Odesa's infrastructure, not only the port infrastructure. Or it's Patriot systems. You also know very well who gave us these systems. But all this is still not enough to protect the relevant infrastructure."
Rubrya reported that the Prime Minister of Ireland, Leo Varadkar, who arrived in Ukraine on a visit on July 19, met with President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Varadkar and Ukraine's Prosecutor General Andrii Kostin visited the places of Russian crimes in Bucha, Kyiv region.
What we know about Russia's air attacks
On the night of July 19, the Russian invaders again staged an air attack on the territory of Ukraine. After midnight, air raids were sounded in many areas. There were reports about the activation of air defense in several regions.
Russia also used a combined attack on Odesa, struck with Kalibr cruise missiles, Kh-22, and kamikaze drones.
Russian rockets struck the territory of the Odesa port, creating a crater. They also hit warehouses with tobacco and fireworks. Tourist bases and hotels were damaged in the region, and 12 people sought medical help.
The military and rescuers showed the consequences of Russia's powerful combined attack on the Odesa region on July 19.
Ukrainian air defense cannot shoot down Kh-22 and Onyx missiles. Modern systems supplied by international partners are insufficient to "close the sky" over Ukraine.
The Air Force has repeatedly emphasized that Ukraine cannot deploy air defense along the border. Therefore, it needs modern F-16 multipurpose fighters.
