Air Force explains how Russia terrorised Ukrainians with alarms on 14 March

Tuesday, 14 March 2023, 16:49

Air alarms in Ukraine on 14 March were caused by the activity of Russian tactical aviation, the threat of launches of ballistic missiles and the flights of a MiG-31K interceptor jet.

Source: Yurii Ihnat, Air Force spokesman Colonel in a comment to Ukrainska Pravda

Details: According to Ihnat, after 10:00 (Kyiv time), the alarm was sounded in the southern, northern and eastern oblasts of our state, which was due to the activity of tactical aviation.

In Ukraine's south, Su-24 aircraft launched 4 Kh-31P anti-radar missiles in the direction of the coast, using air defence systems in Odesa.

The Air Force cannot shoot down these high-speed targets (Kh-31) with the weapons currently at its disposal.  At the same time, as Ihnat clarified, there are different methods of countering these missiles (the Ukrainian Air Defence Forces radars can be turned off – ed.) so the enemy missiles do not reach their targets. However, the fragments of one of these caused damage to the local infrastructure.

Since 10:27 a.m., there has been a threat of the use of operational-tactical Iskander missiles in Ukraine's east.

At 15:26 (Kyiv time), the Air Force spokesman said that a large-scale air-raid alarm sounded due to the threat of Russia’s use of ballistic missiles.

Three more alarms all over Ukraine [at 13.00, 14.30, and 16.30 (Kyiv time) – ed.] were announced due to the takeoff of a MiG-31K fighter jet capable of carrying Kinzhal aeroballistic missiles from the Savasleyka (air base) air base in Russia's Nizhny Novgorod Oblast.

Quote: "The air alarms related to the MiG were short-lived. They were probably training flights or manoeuvres. However, the threat of the Kinzhal missile [launch], against which the Air Defence of Ukraine has no countermeasures, can never be ignored."

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