– This night was really just what we call “light regime”. And if you compare it to how it was in May, this was nothing. news meets the soldier Nikita in a park in Kyiv, where he comes straight from his department outside the capital. There they are deployed with Norwegian-developed NASAMS, which are air defense batteries. According to the Ukrainian defense, they shot down all the Shahed-136 drones, which Russia sent against the Ukrainian capital last night. Admittedly, there was some minor damage to a number of residential buildings, but no one was injured. Received training in Norway Like the others who use the NASAMS batteries, he has been trained in Norway, including at Kongsberg, where the weapon system was developed. These are supposed to be the remains of one of the downed drones with which Russia attacked Kyiv last night. Photo: Ukrainian Ministry of Internal Affairs – The training was at a high level. Two weeks of theory and one week of practice. I studied in Norway together with my fellow soldiers, we were selected especially for this training, says Nikita, we were the best of the best, he says with a small smile. A NASAMS battery photographed in connection with an exercise at Evenes in the winter of 2023. Photo: Stian Lysberg Solum / NTB – We could have wished for even more training, but everyone wanted to return to Ukraine to defend our families, our people and our country, says Nikita for news. – Destroyed more than 100 targets – We have already used NASAMS for a long time. It works very well, the efficiency is very good, he says. Like many Ukrainian soldiers and officers, he does not want to show his face during the interview, for security reasons. There was some material damage after the Russian drone attack against Kyiv last night. Photo: Ukrainian Ministry of Internal Affairs – Of course, ideal weapons that work 100 percent do not exist. Not least it applies to weapons that are used as much as our NASAMS batteries do now, says Nikita. He says that, since the batteries arrived in Ukraine towards the end of 2022, they have destroyed more than 100 targets. Some of them have been out of order due to repairs. But the stability is far more effective than what is the case with the old Soviet systems, which Ukraine still uses, Nikita believes. Want more air defense systems Together with the American air defense system “Patriot”, NASAMS is now one of the pillars of the Ukrainian air defense, to stop Russian missile and drone attacks. But Nikita wants more and more powerful air defense systems, including to shoot down ballistic missiles. In addition, of course, modern fighters are also important for the air force, and he is pleased that many NATO countries will now provide Ukraine with F-16 aircraft. – Ukraine is a large country and there are large areas to defend. And Russia is also big and can use many parts of the country to attack us. Therefore, according to Nikita, there is much that must be done before the country can say that it has a satisfactory defense for its population. – Deserves NATO membership But the most important thing about the Ukrainian soldier is still what is happening now at the NATO summit in Vilnius. Read also: NATO countries agree on roadmap for Ukrainian membership – Of course must become part of NATO because our people have shown that we deserve it. The alliance will also become strong with the experience and strength we have, says Nikita.
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