Colonel Serhii Yaremenko, commander of the Ukrainian Air Force’s 96th Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade, has reported that all Russian “Kinzhal” ballistic missiles targeting Kyiv have been successfully intercepted since the deployment of Patriot air defense systems.
Before Ukraine started shooting down Russia’s Kh-47M Kinzhal missiles with US-made Patriot systems, Russia considered these air-launched ballistic missiles unstoppable and claimed that those were new-generation hypersonic weapons.
In an interview with Ukrinform, Yaremenko stated,
“All Kinzhals launched at the capital of Ukraine, from the moment it was announced that the Patriot anti-aircraft missile system was on combat duty, were successfully intercepted,” he said, noting that no ballistic target has reached its goal within the capital since early May 2023, when the first Patriot battery was deployed.
According to Yaremenko, since the beginning of the operations of the Patriots, Russia launched over 20 Kinzhal missiles at Kyiv, all of which were successfully intercepted.
“When we are working against ballistic missiles, it does not matter to us whether it is a Kh-47M Kinzhal, Iskander-M, 48N (the S-400 system’s standard missile, – Ed.), or Zircon launched from the Bastion missile system. For us, this is primarily a ballistic target. Only then do analysts and experts identify what kind of air target it was based on certain characteristics and wreckage,” he said.
Most Kinzhals targeting Ukraine have been aimed at Kyiv, which is protected by Patriot missile systems. However, when fired at targets in other areas, they often successfully hit their marks.
Addressing the recent decrease in Russian attacks on Kyiv, Yaremenko suggested that this might be due to Russia focusing on other targets rather than the effectiveness of Ukraine’s air defense. He assured that the defense forces remain prepared for potential attacks at any time.
Regarding the threat of Russia’s KAB guided aerial bombs, Yaremenko stressed that the most effective countermeasure is to destroy the carrier aircraft. He mentioned that while Ukraine has the capability to do this, they need more weapons and anti-aircraft guided missiles.
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