Since beginning of year, Russia has launched 2277 Shaheds, 86% destroyed by our air defence - Oleshchuk. VIDEO
Since 1 January 2024, the Russian occupiers have launched 2,277 Shahed attack drones on the territory of Ukraine. Air defences destroyed about 86 per cent of them - 1953 Shaheds.
This was reported on Telegram channel of the Air Force Commander Mykola Oleshchuk, Censor.NET reports.
According to him, these results were achieved due to the increased combat capabilities of the mobile firing groups of the Ukrainian Defence Forces. These are thousands of servicemen who go to firing positions almost every night and shoot down enemy UAVs with all the weapons they have.
"Establishment of the MFG is a forced step of the Air Force since the beginning of the Russian invasion. After all, the enemy is constantly increasing its attacks with a large number of air attack assets, especially strike UAVs. We had to react quickly, increase not only the number of mobile fire groups units but also the quality of their equipment," Oleshchuk said.
What helps fire teams to destroy Shaheds?
Today, the small arms, anti-aircraft guns, and man-portable air defence systems in service with the MFG are modified and equipped with additional equipment capable of ensuring good combat performance. These include night vision devices, thermal imagers, optics, laser pointers, searchlights, electronic warfare equipment, software, and off-road vehicles. All this allows us to work on enemy targets more efficiently and effectively.
More than 80 per cent of the downed Shaheds were accounted for by mobile firing groups of the Ukrainian Defence Forces," Oleshchuk said.
"The war is reaching a new technological level every time, with various types of UAVs gaining more and more importance, and the introduction of artificial intelligence. Mobile fire groups are also being improved. They are likely to include operators of UAV interceptors and other advanced weapons, including combat lasers," he concludes.
