In an extraordinary feat, a Ukrainian soldier is reported to have shot down a Russian cruise missile using nothing more than a machine gun during a massive aerial bombardment over the Kyiv region on June 12th.
According to Ukraine's Air Force Command, the soldier, identified as Serhii, used his machine gun to divert the missile's trajectory after receiving a radio alert about an incoming threat. "After I fired from the machine gun, I saw the missile starting to veer off course and descend," Serhii recounted.
This remarkable claim follows similar past reports, including one in January where a Russian cruise missile was allegedly downed by a Soviet-era antiaircraft gun. While experts acknowledge the extreme difficulty of such feats, Serhii attributed his success to a sense of responsibility that made the "impossible possible."
The Ukrainian military reported that Russia launched six missiles and 24 Shahed drones that night, with air defense units successfully intercepting all but one of the missiles. The effectiveness of Ukraine's air defenses, bolstered by recently replenished stockpiles of US-supplied antiaircraft missiles, was highlighted in a New York Times report.
The incident has garnered widespread attention, raising questions about the capabilities of individual soldiers and the effectiveness of unconventional defence tactics in the face of advanced weaponry. While the claim awaits independent verification, it serves as a testament to the resilience and resourcefulness of Ukrainian forces amid ongoing conflict.
