Ukraine shoots down Russian balloons as Moldova, Romania report sightings – National | 24CA News

Six Russian balloons had been noticed over Kyiv and most had been shot down after being engaged by air defenses, the Ukrainian capital’s navy administration stated on Wednesday.

It stated the balloons might have been carrying nook reflectors and reconnaissance gear however didn’t specify once they flew over the capital, though air alerts had been issued in Kyiv on Wednesday.

“According to information that is now being clarified, these were balloons that move in the air under the propulsion of wind,” the navy administration wrote on the Telegram messaging app.

“The purpose of launching the balloons was possibly to detect and exhaust our air defenses.”

Shortly earlier than the announcement, Ukrainian air pressure spokesperson Yuriy Ihnat stated Russia, which invaded Ukraine in February final yr, may very well be utilizing balloons in a brand new drive to protect its shares of reconnaissance drones.

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“Reconnaissance drones like the Orlan-10 are now being used more sparingly (by Russia), and they thought ‘Why don’t we use these balloons?’ So they are using them,” Ihnat advised Ukrainian tv.

He confirmed that air raid sirens had blared within the capital on Wednesday due to balloons flying overhead.

Ihnat echoed the navy administration’s suggestion that Russia may very well be utilizing the balloons to distract Ukrainian air defenses.

“The enemy wants us to use our air defenses, which protect our strategic objects, on these balloons, which cost nothing.”

Russia didn’t instantly touch upon the studies of balloons over Kyiv.

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Ukraine’s southwestern neighbor Moldova, which has reported Russian missile intrusions into its airspace a number of occasions in current months, additionally reported an unidentified Russian object over its territory.

The nation shut its airspace for over an hour on Tuesday after a flying object “resembling a meteorological balloon” was sighted by authorities.

On Wednesday, the speaker of Moldova’s parliament, Igor Grosu, advised reporters the flying object that had brought on the nation to shut its airspace belonged to Russia.

Grosu stated the balloon had crossed into northern Moldova from Ukraine.

“It is either a (unmanned aerial vehicle), or a device which is taking some kind of measurements at a certain height,” he added.

Romania, a NATO member state that borders each Ukraine and Moldova, stated on Tuesday it had scrambled jets after an aerial goal resembling a climate balloon was noticed in its airspace.

— Reporting by Max Hunder and Pavel Polityuk in Kyiv and Alexander Tanas in Chisinau, Editing by Timothy Heritage and Bill Berkrot

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