Colonel Yevhenii Khliebnikov appointed to lead "small" air defense direction – Fedorov
The small air defense direction, which is being formed under the leadership of Deputy Commander of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Pavlo (Lazar) Yelizarov, has been headed by Colonel Yevhenii Khliebnikov.
This was announced by Ukrainian Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, according to Censor.NET.
The transformation of the small air defence system continues
"We continue transforming the ‘small’ air defense system and responding quickly to challenges related to protecting Ukraine’s skies," Fedorov said.
He noted that Russia attacks Ukrainian cities with hundreds of drones every day. In just one month, the enemy launched more than 6,000 drones.
"Hits on residential buildings, critical infrastructure, trains — the terror of peaceful Ukrainians continues. The enemy is constantly improving the modification of drones and attack tactics to achieve its goals. Every day, a new risk emerges. For example, UAVs with Starlink. Responding quickly to all new challenges, we must build a system for analysing, countering and predicting future threats," Fedorov said.
The head of the defence ministry stressed that this requires an effective system of "small" air defence and interceptors.
"On the President’s instruction, we are changing the approach to protecting the skies to improve the effectiveness of countering enemy attacks," the minister emphasized.
Colonel Khliebnikov to lead the small air defense direction
Fedorov recalled that one of the most effective commanders, Pavel Yelizarov (Lazar), was recently appointed deputy commander of the Ukrainian Air Force.
"Under his leadership, the command of the ‘small’ air defense is being formed — this direction has been headed by Colonel Yevhenii Khliebnikov. His key task is to build a system that can quickly counter challenges to protect the skies," the minister said.
- Khlebnikov is an officer with combat and management experience. He served in Air Force anti-aircraft missile units and worked in the General Staff on air defense development.
- From the first days of the full-scale war, he led the use of Bayraktar UAVs during the defense of Kyiv and the Chernihiv region and took part in planning the operation to liberate Zmiinyi Island. In 2014–2015, he participated in the battles for Donetsk Airport.
"In the near future, we will strengthen management in every region and continue forming a strong team to develop the ‘small’ air defense. These are the first decisions of the updated team of the Ministry of Defense to build an effective system to protect Ukraine’s skies. But there are still many steps ahead to achieve results and increase interception efficiency," Fedorov added.
We will remind you that on 19 January, Pavlo Yelizarov (Lazar), commander of the Lasar's group special forces unit, became the new deputy commander of the Ukrainian Air Force.
