UKRAINE, Apr 8 — The transfer of air defense systems to Ukraine by other countries is a political issue, stated the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in his evening address on April 7. He believes that transferring air defense systems is a task for the military and diplomats.

“It is quite obvious that the air defense capabilities available to us in Ukraine are not enough, and this is obvious to all our partners as well. And the world must finally hear the pain that Russian terrorists are inflicting on Kharkiv, on Kupiansk, on cities in Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Sumy regions, and many other Ukrainian communities… There are air defense systems in the world that can help. The only thing needed is the political will to transfer these systems to Ukraine. I am grateful to those countries that have already helped. And being active in fulfilling this task is the personal responsibility of our diplomats who work in the areas and countries where the necessary systems are available. Patriots should now be deployed in Ukraine, so that later on they will not have to be used at least along the entire eastern flank of NATO,” Zelenskyy said.

Since mid-March, the Russian army has intensified its shelling of Kharkiv, using ballistic and cruise missiles, Shahed kamikaze drones, and new modified UMPB-D30 glide air bombs. As The Economist reports, citing anonymous military sources in Kyiv, Russia might want to turn Kharkiv into a “gray zone” that is unlivable for civilians.

According to Oleksandr Syrskyi, the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, last time, during the counteroffensive, a large-scale collapse of the Russian front happened in the Kharkiv Oblast. He believes if the Russian army decides to attack again, Kharkiv will be a “fatal” city for them.

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