Western air defense has turned Kyiv into a rare safe place in war-torn Ukraine. Several types of air defense systems of different radius are now operating in the capital. This was reported by Politico.
According to the publication, Kyiv's defense is now reinforced by short-range Gepard systems from Germany and short-range Avenger air defense systems from the United States, which shoot down drones and cruise missiles.
"In the medium range, Ukraine uses MIM-23 Hawks made by the United States; NASAMS, developed by Raytheon and Norwegian Kongsberg; and the German IRIS-t SLM. Long-range defense is provided by the US Patriot PAC-3 and Eurosam SAMP/T systems supplied by France and Italy," the report said.
The UN estimated in September that nearly 600,000 displaced people from other parts of Ukraine are living in Kyiv and the surrounding area. Other major cities are also experiencing flows of internal refugees, with about half a million in Dnipro and Kharkiv regions.
"But the capital is not entirely safe, as this weekend's attacks have shown. Air raid sirens still wail almost every day, and the Ukrainian authorities urge people to be careful (to use shelters - ed.)," Serhiy Popko, head of the Kyiv City Military Administration, said in an interview with the publication.
The publication notes that Russians attack Odesa and its strategic port, as well as Kherson, Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia regions, which is why residents of the eastern and southern regions of Ukraine are still suffering massively.
"The Ukrainian government calls on its allies to provide more air defense equipment to cover other cities," the publication said, citing a statement by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in a video address.