US says Ukraine creative in defence against Russia, after refusing MiGs

A senior US defence official spoke to reporters saying that Ukraine isn’t relying much on their fixed-wing fighter aircraft while fighting the war against Russia, CNN reported. He said instead that Ukraine is relying on drones as well as surface to air missiles, to fight the might of the Russian air force. 

The official noted, “The Ukrainians again have been very creative in how they’re defending themselves and how they’re using the airpower they have available to them”, and added, “Frankly, they haven’t proven they need to do more than what they’re doing. They’ve been very effective with the tools that they have, very creatively so. And those are having a good effect on Russian air power”. 

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Notably, this statement comes after the US clamped down on sending MiGs after Poland offered to bolster Ukraine’s aerial capabilities.

The defence official also noted how Ukrainians have effectively used drones saying “It’s a very nimble platform, and they’re using them with terrific effect, particularly against Russian ground units”. Making note of the effectiveness of Ukrainian surface-to-air missiles against Russia, the official said, “They’re being careful at what they’re shooting at, they’re moving stuff around, they’re being very nimble. And it’s proven effective”, and added, “And I’m not just talking about mobile launchers, I’m talking about use of shoulder fire surface-to-air capability as well”. 

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Meanwhile, Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly asked NATO for planes. He’s urged that a no-fly zone be imposed over Ukraine, to protect civilians from Russian shelling, but when the military organization turned down the request, the president put in a demand for planes so Ukraine can protect itself. 

Recently, however, a frustrated Zelensky said in an ABC News interview that his country was no longer fixed on joining NATO since the organization had proven it couldn’t confront Russia.