The President of Ukraine, acting as Supreme Commander, instructed the Ministry of Defense, the General Staff, and the Cabinet of Ministers to propose a solution so that the flights of the Kinzhals would not paralyze the country for hours.
In an evening video message, Zelensky specified that the level of air defense in Ukraine and, in general, readiness for missile threats allows for a somewhat modernized response to the takeoff of the "Daggers" carriers — without unnecessary stops in the country. The President is waiting for relevant proposals.
Air alarms in Ukraine have become longer due to the longer flights of the MiG-31K "Kinzhal" carriers — they are practicing new maneuvers and refueling in the air, but why and for what reasons, the Air Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine do not know.
Previously, these planes practiced take-offs and landings quite quickly — the alarm lasted an average of 20 minutes, and now more than 2.5 hours.
In a comment to "Babel", Air Forces spokesman Yuriy Ihnat emphasized that the Command cannot predict whether the MiG flight will be a training or a combat flight; therefore, general alarm is announced after each takeoff. The main task is to inform about the danger. There is no gradation of the threat level when such aircraft take off.
Yuriy Ihnat does not have an answer to the question of why the Russians have started to practice refueling in the air right now. They take off from three airfields that are relatively close to Ukraine, and this has nothing to do with patrolling the Black Sea. Refueling is also not required for attacks on Ukraine, so it is not yet clear why they are refueling, says Ihnat.