On March 4, Russian forces used new guided bombs UPAB-1500V against Ukraine, equipped with inertial and satellite navigation systems. The first use of this type of ammunition was recorded in February in the Chernihiv region.
The Russian Federation possesses a considerable number of powerful 1.5-ton glide bombs, which it attempts to exhaust the Ukrainian air defense system with.
This was mentioned by the spokesperson for the Ukrainian Air Force, Ilya Yevlash, in the broadcast of the national telethon United News.
"These are extremely powerful weapons - 1500 kg is enough to completely demolish a 9-story panel building or an old 'Khrushchyovka'. Of course, there are a lot of such bombs in Russia, and by using them, they are trying to exhaust our air defense system. Our main task now is to fight directly against the carriers that use these bombs, namely the Su-34 and Su-35 aircraft. Of course, this is quite a challenging task, but we have shown that we can carry out such complex operations now," Yevlash said.
At the same time, he emphasized that Ukraine needs more Western defense systems.
"We need more Western systems. Unfortunately, we cannot produce them ourselves at the moment. Therefore, in this matter, we rely on our partners and are very grateful to them for their support," the spokesperson noted.
Responding to questions about the shelling of Ukraine with Kalibr cruise missiles, Yevlash noted that it is a serious precision weapon.
"Of course, this weapon has quite a powerful effect, and it remains quite precise. Our air defense units have repeatedly proved, and quite often we have shot down 100 out of 100 Kalibr-type cruise missiles. Of course, their range is quite high and allows them to cover almost the entire territory of Ukraine. And we use various forces and means against them, including EW units, which quite skillfully allow us to fight and shoot down these missiles," the spokesperson explained.
He added that to shoot down a large number of missiles, a large number of air defense systems are needed, which Ukraine is eagerly expecting.
Furthermore, Yevlash confirmed that currently only the Patriot system can shoot down the Russian hypersonic anti-ship missile Zircon, which has repeatedly proven its effectiveness.
