CinC Syrskyi: “Small-group” air defense units downed over 2,100 Russian attack drones in April
According to Ukrinform, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine General Oleksandr Syrskyi announced this on Facebook following a meeting on strengthening the Ukrainian Defense Forces' capabilities to counter Russian attack drones.
“We must do everything possible to reliably protect Ukrainian cities and towns, critical infrastructure, industrial facilities, and military and civilian sites from enemy air attacks,” Syrskyi emphasized.
The general noted that “we worked substantively, without formal reports—only facts and results.”
The meeting was attended by representatives of the Air Force, the Unmanned Systems Forces, Army Aviation, the Air Defense units of the Army, and other command and control bodies.
“We thoroughly reviewed the current situation in the air: how the enemy is operating, where we are ahead of them, and where we need to strengthen our capabilities. We analyzed the specific results of the units’ operations, the effectiveness of the interception echelons, and the coordination between the components of the air defense system. Conclusions have been drawn,” Syrskyi noted.
According to him, “the so-called ‘light’ air defense system continues to strengthen and is already demonstrating high effectiveness. UAV interceptor units have been formed, and interception echelons have been established.”
As Syrskyi reported, over 2,100 aerial targets were destroyed in April alone.
The echelons provided by the Unmanned Systems Forces neutralize over 50% of enemy strike drones, the general noted. Nearly 950 targets were shot down in a month, 670 of which were Shahed-type drones.
As Syrskyi noted, "I paid special attention to improving the effectiveness of the Air Force’s air defense operations in the third echelon. It is necessary to intensify the training of UAV interceptor crews—we have both military and civilian training facilities for this purpose."
The general emphasized that Army Aviation of the Ground Forces plays a crucial role in countering enemy drones. It is increasing its technical capabilities and effectiveness: in April, helicopter crews destroyed over 500 enemy UAVs. Their contribution to the fight against Shahed-type drones is very significant, Syrskyi noted.
Separately, he discussed strengthening communications and arming helicopters, as well as increasing production of combat components for UAV interceptors.
Syrskyi also reported that projects to provide anti-drone protection for key administrative centers in the regions are continuing.
As reported by Ukrinform, Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov stated that Ukraine is launching a new level of “small-scale” air defense.
The “small-scale” air defense is being formed under the leadership of Deputy Commander of the Ukrainian Air Force Pavlo Yelizarov (call sign “Lazar”). Colonel Yevhen Khlibnikov heads the unit.
