Amid War, Ukraine Gets Western Air Defence Systems

Ukraine announced on Monday that it had received additional air defence systems from Western military allies, as officials in Kyiv described the supply situation as “tense” following protracted Russian attacks on energy facilities.

Attacks by Moscow's forces, including with Iranian-made drones, have destroyed approximately 40 per cent of Ukraine's power plants in the last month, and the government has urged Ukrainians to maximise electricity savings.

For nearly a month, Kyiv has been rocked by barrages of Russian attacks on the first day of each week, but air raid sirens were silent on Monday and residents went about their business as usual.

Residents in Kyiv were not worried by the threat of new strikes Monday, despite the city's grey and foggy conditions, which military observers say make missile and low-altitude drone attacks more difficult.

“To be honest, it's not just Mondays, we've known for eight months that this can happen any day, and we've adapted. I'm not going to change my routine to accommodate that. I'm going to work...as I do every day,” Alyona Plekh, a 21-year-old Kyiv resident, told AFP.

Ukraine received the National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System (NASAMS) and Italian Aspide air defence systems on Monday, in addition to weapons supplied by Germany.

“Ukraine has received NASAMS and Aspide air defence systems! These weapons will significantly strengthen the Ukrainian army and improve the safety of our skies,” the defence minister of Ukraine, Oleksii Reznikov said on Twitter. 

“We will continue to shoot down enemy targets that come at us. Thank you to our partners in Norway, Spain and the United States,” Reznikov added.

Weeks of Russian attacks have resulted in widespread blackouts and energy restrictions across Ukraine and authorities in Kyiv have asked residents and businesses to reduce consumption.