During Russia’s massive missile attack against Ukraine on 29 December, a mobile fire group of machine gunners of the 27th Pechersk Brigade of Ukraine’s National Guard shot down a Russian cruise missile using small arms in Kyiv Oblast, the Brigade reported on Facebook.
“After detecting the target moving towards Kyiv, the National Guard opened fire with machine guns,” according to the report.
The Brigade says that the examination of the missile’s wreckage showed that the small arms fire caused an explosion of its fuel tanks, which led to the missile losing control and altitude. The missile crashed, but its warhead did not detonate.
“The National Guard’s fire teams are designed to counter air strikes, including shooting down missiles and kamikaze drones. Combined with the efficient work of air defense units, this allows us to increase the success rate of shooting down air targets and thus save infrastructure and the lives of our citizens,” the Pechersk Brigade noticed.
The National Guard does not mention the missile type. However, according to the December 29 report by the Air Force, Russia launched 90 air-based Kh-101/Kh-555/Kh-55 cruise missiles, of which the air defenders destroyed 87. Additionally, Russia launched Kh-22/Kh-32, Kh-47M2 Kinzhal, and ballistic missiles of several types during the attack, but Ukraine did not claim successful interceptions of any of those.
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