Zelensky: 'Ukrainian sky shield more powerful compared to last year'

Ukraine's air defenses have become more powerful compared to the previous year thanks to the support of partner countries, President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his evening address on Nov. 12.

Zelensky said that states like the U.S., Germany, France, the U.K., Norway, Italy, Romania, Sweden, the Netherlands, Czechia, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Poland, the Baltic countries, and others have assisted Ukraine in building up its air defense capabilities.

Ukraine's defenses have been strengthened by a number of Western systems, such as Patriot, IRIS-T, SAMP-T, or HAWK. These are now of vital importance as the country braces for intensified Russian missile and drone strikes on Ukraine's infrastructure in the winter.

Russia attempted such a strategy in the fall and winter of 2022-2023, causing regular blackouts amid freezing temperatures.

"Russia is preparing for winter. And in Ukraine, all our attention should be focused on defense, on response to terrorists, on everything Ukraine can do to make it easier for our people to get through this winter and to increase the capabilities of our troops," Zelensky said.

The president said that the current arsenal is still not sufficient to protect the entire territory of Ukraine, but the work to strengthen the air defense capabilities is underway.

He noted that he cannot currently disclose all the details of this process.

Kyiv's partners have already pledged to further boost Ukrainian air defenses ahead of the coming winter.

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The Kyiv IndependentDominic Culverwell