Soldiers from the Transcarpathian 650th Anti-Aircraft Machine Gun Battalion shot down a Russian cruise missile, the authorities of the region reported. They released a recording that is supposed to confirm the incident. However, former Air Force spokesman Yuri Ihnat stated that the enemy missile was shot down by an anti-aircraft missile. On Monday, Russia launched a massive attack on Ukraine. The missiles were also heading towards the Transcarpathian region.
“The Transcarpathian 650th Independent Anti-Aircraft Machine Gun Battalion of the Armed Forces of Ukraine shoots down a cruise missile on the border of our and Lviv regions. It was on its way to our region,” the administration of the Transcarpathian region said in a Telegram message on Monday.
“Thank you brothers for your professionalism and saving lives!” added the authorities in Uzhhorod, posting a video showing soldiers shooting down a Russian missile.
A soldier from the 650th battalion shoots at a rocket Zakarpattia Regional Administration/Telegram
A journalist from the Zakarpattia region, Vitaly Hlahola, confirmed that two enemy missiles were shot down over the region. “In this video, you can see one of them being shot down, the other was shot down by air defense forces,” he wrote on Telegram.
A little later, former Air Force spokesman Yuri Ihnat commented on the incident, saying that the Russian cruise missile was shot down by a Ukrainian anti-aircraft missile. This could have happened at the exact same time that a soldier from the 650th battalion was firing at the enemy missile.
Change of course to Lviv region
On Monday morning Ukraine was attacked by Russian strategic aviation and drones. An air alert was declared throughout the country, which lasted for several hours.
At around 9 a.m. Ukrainian time (8 a.m. in Poland), Zakarpattia Oblast authorities reported that Russian cruise missiles were over the region. After 9 a.m., the missiles changed course to Lviv Oblast.