Ukraine’s Protection Minister, Oleksii Reznikov, poses with a reflector just like the one the air drive says it shot down from the balloons.

Ukraine Protection Ministry

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Ukraine Protection Ministry

Ukraine’s Protection Minister, Oleksii Reznikov, poses with a reflector just like the one the air drive says it shot down from the balloons.

Ukraine Protection Ministry

KYIV, Ukraine — The Kyiv Army Administration says it shot down six Russian balloons that appeared over the Ukrainian capital throughout an air raid warning on Wednesday. Related balloons had appeared in different elements of Ukraine on Sunday.

Yuriy Ihnat, a spokesman for Ukraine’s air drive, mentioned that the balloons had plain steel triangles suspended with string beneath them, saying that was sufficient to seem like an incoming missile or drone on Ukrainian radars.

“Russia needs Ukraine to waste its ammunition on these balloons, which successfully price them nothing in any respect,” he mentioned on nationwide TV.

Army analysts have mentioned Russia could also be working low on missiles and drones to assault Ukraine. In the meantime, every western-supplied air protection missile can price as a lot as $4 million.

One of many balloons the Basic Employees of the Armed Forces of Ukraine says they shot down.

Basic Employees of the Armed Forces of Ukraine

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Basic Employees of the Armed Forces of Ukraine

Ihnat mentioned the Ukrainian air drive would scramble fighter jets to take down additional balloons, conserving sources at a time when Kyiv says it wants extra rounds from NATO.

A former Ukrainian Naval commander, Andriy Ryzhenko, informed Ukraine’s TSN that Russian decoys are an efficient bluff at a time when a number of Jap European international locations are frightened a few Russian escalation this spring.

On Tuesday, Moldova briefly closed its airspace after stories of a attainable Russian balloon floating into the nation. A day earlier, Moldovan President Maia Sandu accused Moscow of plotting a army coup there.

Whereas Ukrainian media identified similarities between these Russian balloons and China’s spy balloons which have appeared over North America, no official has mentioned the incidents are associated.

Nevertheless, Kyiv’s Army Administration mentioned a number of the dirigibles may need additionally had surveillance gear, a know-how Russia has been identified to deploy earlier than, notably in Syria.

Russia has but to touch upon the balloons in Ukraine.