Patriot systems needed for defense of Kharkiv and other cities - Zelenskyy
Photo: President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy (Vitalii Nosach, RBC-Ukraine)
In March 2024, Russia fired more than 400 missiles and 600 Shaheds at Ukraine. Kharkiv is suffering from Russian attacks, and Patriot systems are needed to protect it, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy states.
"In March alone, Russian terrorists used more than 400 missiles of various types, more than 600 Shaheds, and more than 3,000 guided bombs against Ukraine. Different cities and villages of Ukraine are suffering from this terror, and Russia is particularly brutal in the frontline territories and border communities," he says.
Zelenskyy emphasizes that Kharkiv, a city of millions, has been under attack since the first days of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine.
"These are daily mockery and pain, daily losses in the city. Critical infrastructure is destroyed, and ordinary residential buildings are destroyed every day," the head of state adds.
The President says that this could have been avoided thanks to modern air defense systems. In particular, the American Patriot air defense system could protect Kharkiv from Russian attacks.
"Patriot in the hands of Ukrainians proved that all forms of Russian terror can lose. And this is necessary - necessary for our Kharkiv and all other cities and communities whose lives are now under Russian attack," Zelenskyy emphasizes.
New Russian bombs hit Kharkiv
On March 27, the Russian army struck Kharkiv for the first time using a large-caliber guided munition. It is a D-30 SN UMPB bomb, which is manufactured based on FAB-250.
Oleh Syniehubov, the head of the Kharkiv Regional Military Administration, said that the new Russian guided munitions could reach any district of Kharkiv. In his opinion, these shells can be shot down, but this is a question for the military.
Read more about the UMPB bombs that Russia used to strike Kharkiv in RBC-Ukraine's report.
