Russian air defense forces neutralize over 30,000 Ukrainian aerial weapons

MOSCOW, Russia | Xinhua | The Russian air defense forces have neutralized more than 30,000 Ukrainian aerial weapons since the onset of Russia’s special military operation against Ukraine, a senior Russian general announced on Sunday.

“Our forces have destroyed over 30,000 enemy aerial assets, including tactical aviation aircraft, tactical missiles, multiple launch rocket system projectiles, unmanned aerial vehicles, and anti-radiation missiles,” said Lieutenant General Andrei Semenov, commander of the air and missile defense forces and deputy commander-in-chief of the Russian Aerospace Forces.

The remarks were made on Russia’s Air Defense Forces Day, observed on the second Sunday in April.

Semenov said Russian forces effectively thwarted group assaults on Bryansk, Kursk, Belgorod, Voronezh, and strategic locations in western Russia.

More than 3,000 air defense troops are on combat duty every day, Semenov said. ■