Ukraine's mobile air defences have ammo for 'few more attacks': commander

Kiev's mobile air defences have enough ammunition to withstand a few more powerful attacks, but then will need more Western aid, a senior military commander said Wednesday.

Late last year, Russia launched its largest missile and drone attacks since the early days of the invasion and again on Tuesday bombarded the capital and the second-largest city of Kharkiv, killing five and injuring dozens.

"The current situation with man-portable air defence systems for mobile air defence groups is that there is enough ammunition to withstand the next few powerful attacks," Sergiy Nayev, commander of the joint forces of the armed forces of Ukraine, told AFP while meeting troops outside Kiev.

"But in the medium and long term, we need help from Western countries to replenish the missile stock," added the lieutenant-general, who oversees mobile air defence units in Kiev and Ukraine's northern region, which are armed with portable guns rather than larger systems such as Patriots.

"The priority is more ammunition," he said, since the Russians "really want to deplete our air defence system."

"Of course, we would like more missiles for Patriots and the systems themselves," he said, referring to larger U.S.-supplied surface-to-air missile systems that Ukraine says downed 10 Kinzhal ballistic missiles on Tuesday.

Kiev says the latest attacks underline the need for Western allies to speed up delivery of air defence equipment, combat drones and long-range missiles.

Soldiers in an air defence unit protecting Kiev showed off the mobile weaponry they used to down Russian missiles and drones in the latest strikes.

Nayev gave medals to the soldiers and praised their accuracy, telling AFP that on Tuesday, "our effectiveness rate was...

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