Ignat described a key feature of the massive attack using Zircons
On the night of Monday, June 15, Russian occupation forces launched a large-scale combined strike against Ukrainian territory, which differed from previous massive shelling campaigns in terms of the types of weapons used.
The enemy launched 611 attack drones and 70 missiles of various types.
According to a representative of the Air Force, the enemy’s current tactics were very similar to the shelling that took place on June 2.
The main difference was that instead of the usual sea-launched Kalibr cruise missiles, Russia used Iskander-K missiles this time.
Despite the change in the type of precision-guided weapons, the overall nature and structure of the air strike remained similar to previous operations.
The Ukrainian air defense system demonstrated high effectiveness in repelling the attack.
Air defense forces managed to completely destroy all launched Kh-101 and Iskander-K cruise missiles—the success rate in this segment was 100%.
Both anti-aircraft missile units and tactical aviation pilots, including those flying modern F-16 fighters, participated in the destruction of aerial targets.
In addition, air defenders successfully intercepted and neutralized 582 enemy drones out of 611 launched.
Significant successes were also recorded in the destruction of Russian “Zircon” hypersonic missiles, which attack cities along a ballistic trajectory.
The Ukrainian military managed to shoot down 5 such missiles, which, according to the agency’s assessment, is one of the best results in countering this type of weaponry.
At the same time, intercepting conventional ballistic missiles remains the most difficult challenge for the existing air defense system due to the limited number of appropriate systems.
Of the 34 Iskander-M and S-400 ballistic missiles launched, mobile and stationary units shot down 15.
“As for the targets we shot down, unfortunately, the problem remains for us. This is ballistics,” Yuriy Ignat stated.
He once again reminded the public that currently, only the Patriot air defense missile system is capable of effectively intercepting ballistic missiles. It is precisely due to the shortage of such systems in some regions that some of the enemy missiles were able to reach their targets.
In total, 20 Russian missiles and 27 attack drones breached the defenses and struck various regions of Ukraine. Residential neighborhoods and infrastructure facilities were damaged in Kyiv, where civilian casualties were reported, as well as in Kharkiv and Dnipro.
Yuriy Ignat, spokesperson for the Ukrainian Air Force, spoke about the specifics of this air attack and the results of the air defense efforts during an appearance on a national telethon.
The Mystetskyi Arsenal was damaged as a result of Russian shelling
Photo: Russia attacked the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, causing a fire
Earlier, Russian KABs struck the Zaporizhzhia region; there are casualties
Less than 29.5 million people live in territory controlled by Ukraine, according to a study.
Ukraine’s population is rapidly shrinking, and experts’ forecasts are becoming increasingly alarming.
We have also previously reported that 29 million people currently live in Ukraine. Our country is no longer the second-most populous country of the former USSR.
