‘An Effective System to Protect Ukraine’s Skies’ - Air Force Announces New Rapid Response Group

Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov on Wednesday announced a new leader for a nascent small air defence branch within the Air Force.

Reporting to Pavlo Yelizarov, deputy commander of the Ukrainian Air Force, Colonel Yevhenii Khlebnikov will direct a newly designed air defense group meant to “analyze, counter and anticipate future threats,” Fedorov wrote on social media.

The Ministry of Defense described Khlebnikov as bringing both frontline experience and leadership qualities to the table, having served in Air Force anti-aircraft missile units and having worked within the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on the development of air defence.

Specifically,  Khlebnikov led the use of Bayraktar drones during the defense of Kyiv and the region of Chernihiv in the early days of the full-scale Russian invasion, and took part in planning the operation to liberate Zmiinyi (Snake) Island of “Russian warship go f@#k yourself” fame. 

Fedorov said that Khlebnikov’s primary task is to build a system capable of responding quickly to emerging challenges in order to protect Ukraine’s skies.

“Russia attacks Ukrainian cities every day with hundreds of drones,” Fedorov wrote. “More than 6,000 UAVs in the past month alone. Strikes on apartment buildings, critical infrastructure, trains – the terror against peaceful Ukrainians does not stop. The enemy is constantly improving drone modifications and attack tactics to reach its targets.”

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“Every day brings a new risk, for instance UAVs with Starlink,” said, referring to recent reports that Russian drones are now being navigated by the satellite system owned by American oligarch Elon Musk.

“In order to respond rapidly to every new challenge, we must build a system to analyze, counter and anticipate future threats. That requires an effective small air defence system and interceptors. On the president’s instruction, we are changing our approach to protecting the skies to increase the effectiveness of countering enemy attacks.”

“In the near future, we will strengthen command and control in every region and continue building a strong team to develop small air defence.

“These are the first decisions of the reshaped Ministry of Defence team to build an effective system to protect Ukraine’s skies. But there are still many steps ahead to deliver results and improve interception efficiency.”