German Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht on Monday said Russian missile attacks on Ukrainian population centers highlighted the urgency of delivering air defence systems to Kyiv’s forces.
The long-promised systems, which are capable of protecting an entire city, were originally slated to be delivered at the end of the year. Monday’s deadly strikes, however, have now sped up the delivery timeline.
Deutschland liefert das erste von vier IRIS-T SLM Luftverteidigungssystem an die #Ukraine. Die jüngsten russischen #Raketenangriffe auf Kiew und andere Städte zeigen, wie wichtig diese Fähigkeit für die Selbstverteidigung der Ukraine ist. pic.twitter.com/zMGT6zNkDc
— Verteidigungsministerium (@BMVg_Bundeswehr) October 10, 2022
Lambrecht said the Russian barrage underlined the need for the vehicle-mounted IRIS-T SLM systems to be delivered quickly.
“The renewed missile fire on Kyiv and the many other cities show how important it is to supply Ukraine with air defense systems quickly,” the defense minister said in a statement.
“Russia’s attacks with missiles and drones terrorize above all the civilian population,” Lamprecht said.
She added that the first of four high-tech air defence systems will now be “ready for the effective protection of people in the coming days.”
Chancellor Olaf Scholz had promised to provide the air defence systems to Ukraine in June.
This is an excerpt from an article first published on the Deutsche Welle website – click here to read full story.
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