Ukraine shoots down Russian balloons as Moldova, Romania report sightings
Global News
Air raid sirens blared in Kyiv on Wednesday because of balloons flying overhead while on Tuesday Moldova closed its airspace and Romania scrambled jets following sightings.
Six Russian balloons were spotted over Kyiv and most were shot down after being engaged by air defenses, the Ukrainian capital’s military administration said on Wednesday.
It said the balloons may have been carrying corner reflectors and reconnaissance equipment but did not specify when they flew over the capital, although air alerts were 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 military administration wrote on the Telegram messaging app.
“The purpose of launching the balloons was possibly to detect and exhaust our air defenses.”
Shortly before the announcement, Ukrainian air force spokesperson Yuriy Ihnat said Russia, which invaded Ukraine in February last year, could be using balloons in a new drive to preserve its stocks of reconnaissance drones.
“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 told Ukrainian television.
He confirmed that air raid sirens had blared in the capital on Wednesday because of balloons flying overhead.
Ihnat echoed the military administration’s suggestion that Russia could be using the balloons to distract Ukrainian air defenses.
