Colonel Serhiy Yaremenko, call sign Hranit, who commands the 96th anti-aircraft missile brigade of the Center Air Command, made the statement in an interview with ArmyInform.
"During the incident, a total of 16 ballistic targets were detected approaching from various directions, with a majority of them targeting the Patriot system. I'm always proud of my subordinates, but this time even I was shocked by their endurance. Despite the imminent threat of ballistic missiles heading their way, they remained composed and acted with coordination and organization. Targets were effectively distributed among different sectors, and their destruction was carried out at a safe distance that minimized the risk of infrastructure damage," the brigadier said.
"I was in touch with the division commander and realized what a serious professional and moral challenge this was. After the report "The airspace is clear, all targets are destroyed,” no one held back emotions... Later we learned that there were 6 Kinzhals among these targets," he added.
According to him, the partner countries were also pleasantly surprised by the performance of the Ukrainian air defense, which destroyed "hypersonic" missiles.
"The performance of their complex was exemplary, demonstrating its capability to successfully destroy targets that the Russians had presented as impossible to intercept," the colonel summarized.
On May 16, Russia launched a massive attack on Kyiv with missiles of various types and attack drones. The air defense system shot down all 6 Kinzhal missiles launched at the capital of Ukraine.
According to British intelligence, the vulnerability of the Kinzhal missiles came as a surprise to Russia, as they had portrayed them as weapons that could evade any air defense system.