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This Humvee means a bit more security for Kyiv. Russia is constantly attacking the Ukrainian capital with missiles and drones from the air. Ukrainian air defenses, in turn, are trying to shoot down as many incoming missiles as possible. Meanwhile, with various weapons supplied from the West – such as this Avenger system from the USA.
Anatolii, combat name "architect", air defense commander
»We are responsible for the sleep of our civilians. That's quite a lot of people. A large number of military personnel take care every day that our relatives, our loved ones, our people can live more or less in peace as best they can."
Commander Anatolii – nicknamed "Architect" – and his six-man squad were trained in Europe by the US military. Now they are stationed near Kyiv.
The Avenger system consists of a Humvee, on the roof of which eight missiles are mounted. The vehicle is very mobile. The missiles have a range of up to five kilometers and are thus intended for short-range defense.
Anatolii, combat name "architect", air defense commander
»It becomes difficult when the attack comes with different missiles. Sometimes Iranian Shahed drones and cruise missiles come in one night. That's particularly difficult: the different speeds of the targets and the multitude of targets – you have to be as fast as possible."
Washington has delivered at least 12 of these Avenger systems to Ukraine, in addition to Patriot missile batteries and the German Iris system. But even that is not enough to intercept all incoming missiles.
In addition, air defense is also needed at the front, where Russian fighter jets and helicopters are attacking ground forces. This was particularly evident during the start of the Ukrainian counteroffensive.
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