Defiant Ukrainian soldiers using British missiles in fierce defence of their homeland against Putin’s invasion
UKRAINIAN soldiers “successfully” used British rockets in a fierce defence of their homeland against Vladimir Putin’s Russian onslaught yesterday.
Several fired the shoulder-launched guided missiles to help protect Kharkiv — the first major city to face an assault — where at least four Russian tanks were destroyed.
Three attack helicopters were also shot down as they swooped on an airfield near Kyiv, government sources claimed.
Britain shipped 2,000 of the next generation light anti-aircraft (NLAW) weapons to Ukraine and a squad of British Rangers trained soldiers how to fire them.
The 800m range missiles can be fired from inside buildings and are considered ideal for urban warfare.
A senior Ukrainian source said of them: “They were used very successfully.”
UK officials refused to confirm if the NLAW missiles had featured in the battle, but insisted the claims were credible.
Longer-range, US-made Javelin missiles were also used in the deadly exchange which continued to rage last night as terrified residents cowered in subways.
The battle came after Russian forces bombarded more than 80 targets before dawn with air strikes rockets, missiles and shells.
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Throughout the day The Sun saw convoys of Ukrainian tanks, trucks, ambulances and artillery guns manoeuvring in small groups to make them harder to hit.
One wounded soldier was comforted by his comrades who held his hands as tanks rolled past.
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Overall, both sides faced heavy casualties with reports of hundreds killed, including civilians and kids.
At an airbase in Kramatorsk hammered by Russian airstrikes soldiers were shaken but defiant.
A group survived in a tiny, muddy underground bunker lined with wooden duckboards, like a scene from World War One.
With them in the darkness was an adopted dog called Rocket.
A private, Yevgenny, 23, said blasts from the attack on a command and control bunker about 400m from their position were so bright it was “like daylight”
He said: “In the first ten minutes everything in my mind was blank. I was just acting automatically like a robot. Then everything became clear. Panic is the last thing you do in these situations.”
After the onslaught, the soldiers called their mums and dads to say that they were still alive
Yevgenny said: “We’re fighting to protect our land and families. The Russians are fighting for nothing.”
Ukrainian soldiers also used US-made Stinger missiles provided by Latvia in their fightback. They were used to defeat Russian troops who occupied Afghanistan.
It is thought they were used to shoot down the choppers carrying Russian paratroopers as they attempted to seize the airfield at Gostomel north of Kyiv.
'Total resistance' from Ukraine
THE Ukrainian military said invaders faced “total resistance” from their army yesterday as they revealed pictures of captured Russian soldiers.
Photos showed men who had surrendered with their weapons on the floor and red tape around their arms and legs.
Army Commander-in-Chief Valeriy Zaluzhny shared a picture of two prisoners.
He said the pair were “Russian soldiers of unit 91701 of Yampol motorised infantry regiment”.
Another showed captured soldier Konstantin Buinichev sitting with his arm bandaged.
A four-strong tank crew were made to lie face down with their jackets pulled over their heads after Ukrainian troops took their BMP fighting vehicle in Luhansk near the eastern border.
Ukraine’s President, Volodymyr Zelensky, said the attemptd had been blocked. He went on: “Our troops have been given the order to destroy them.”
He spoke as queues formed across Ukraine at banks, pharmacies and petrol stations.
Flights were grounded, trains were cancelled and roads clogged as thousands fled cities to the relative safety of the countryside.
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President Zelensky said: “Russia treacherously attacked our state . . . as Nazi Germany did in the Second World War. Russia has embarked on a path of evil, but Ukraine is defending itself and won’t give up its freedom no matter what Moscow thinks.”
Foreign Minister, Dmytro Kuleba, said: “Ukraine stands with both feet on the ground and continues to defend itself.”
