Ukraine downs Russian drones at average rate of 75% - Air Force spox

That’s according to Yuriy Ihnat, the spokesman for the Air Force Command, who spoke at the national telethon, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

"The rate varies: sometimes it’s 100%, sometimes it’s below 50%, unfortunately, because different regions are attacked. We have approximately a 75% rate, if we count in general. During the period of attacks on our critical infrastructure in fall and winter alone, about 750 kamikaze drones and the same number of cruise missiles were shot down," said Ihnat.

He noted that all elements of Ukraine’s Defense Forces are involved in the process because it is more rational to shoot down the Shahed with cheap and accessible capabilities, involving mobile fire groups, small arms, anti-aircraft guns, etc.

Ihnat also noted that Russian propaganda often resorts to manipulative statements about the supposedly greater security ensured for the Ukrainian capital and the corresponding “insecurity” of other regions in order to sow domestic tensions among Ukrainians. At the same time, he noted that the most critical infrastructure do need more protection.

"Wherever we see more strikes we will deploy more anti-aircraft weapons — that's logical," the spokesman said.

According to him, Ukraine is currently lacking the required number of air defense systems, so more mobile fire groups must be deployed across country.

"We lack medium- and long-range anti-aircraft missile systems, that's why we have to cover the weak spots where there are fewer anti-aircraft defense capabilities today through increasing the number of mobile fire groups," Ihnat explained.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, on the night of August 3, the Air Force intercepted 15 Shahed-136/131 one-way attack UAVs launched by the enemy from Bryansk region.