{"id":96911,"date":"2023-02-15T09:39:49","date_gmt":"2023-02-15T09:39:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/3e9dc50b-a52d-4a78-b7a4-e1367ef6ed8d"},"modified":"2023-02-15T09:39:49","modified_gmt":"2023-02-15T09:39:49","slug":"ukraine-claims-russia-using-balloons-to-distract-its-air-defences","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/businessnewsbox.com\/?p=96911","title":{"rendered":"Ukraine claims Russia using balloons to distract its air defences"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ukraine has accused Russia of turning to balloon power to support its invasion of the country, although with markedly different aims from China\u2019s intelligence gathering operations. <\/p>\n

Moscow has allegedly begun launching aerial objects with the intention of tricking Ukraine\u2019s air defences into firing surface-to-air missiles and exhausting valuable supplies, according to Kyiv. On Tuesday, suspected balloons that flew over Ukraine were detected in Romanian and Moldovan airspace, prompting Bucharest to scramble jets. <\/p>\n

Such flying objects carrying radar reflectors have been spotted over Ukraine\u2019s skies twice since the US shot down a Chinese surveillance balloon<\/a> earlier this month. These \u201cfake targets\u201d were launched by Russia, said Colonel Yuriy Ignat, spokesman for Ukraine\u2019s air force command. <\/p>\n

Kyiv suspects that the balloons are the latest tactic being deployed by Russia in a missile and kamikaze drone strike campaign that has intensified in recent weeks. \u201cThey will exploit this when the weather is in their favour. The weather was blowing our way today,\u201d Ignat said.<\/p>\n

Ukraine\u2019s arsenal of Soviet air defence systems has so far prevented Moscow\u2019s fleet of fighter and bomber jets from establishing air superiority since Russia\u2019s president Vladimir Putin launched his full-scale invasion last year. <\/p>\n

But its supplies of air defence missiles have been depleted, according to western officials. While US and European allies have started sending Nato-standard surface-to-air missile systems, more are needed in the coming months. <\/p>\n

Ukraine has not disclosed whether it fired air defence missiles at the balloons on Tuesday. Russia has not acknowledged launching the objects. <\/p>\n

A second Ukrainian official said they believed that the balloons that drifted into the airspace of neighbouring Moldova and Romania were Russian, although neither country has publicly speculated on their origin.<\/p>\n