Ukraine’s Western-supplied cruise missiles are penetrating Russian air defenses in Crimea, a Ukrainian Air Force spokesman Yurii Ihnat said on 24 September.

According to Ihnat, Russia’s air defense systems cannot intercept many of the cruise missiles provided by Ukraine’s allies.

“The weapons we have been waiting for so much, we have them now. These are cruise missiles,” Ihnat said in an interview on national television. “The enemy cannot shoot down these missiles despite the fact that they have unparalleled super air defense systems.”

“Probably some quantity is shot down,” he acknowledged. “But as we see from the results, the missiles reach their targets, and Crimea, which is densely packed with air defense systems, cannot cope with Western-made cruise missiles.”

Operation Crab Trap: Ukrainian military gives some details on Sevastopol Russian Navy HQ attack

Ihnat stressed Ukraine eagerly awaits more of the same missiles from Western suppliers, particularly Germany, France, Britain, and the US.

American ATACMS long-range missiles “will help us significantly change the situation on the front,” he said. The arrival of Western F16 fighter jets “will be an entirely different story,” Ihnat added.

Read also: