He led Bayraktar at the beginning of the Great War: Colonel Khlebnikov will lead the "small" air defense command

Under the leadership of the Deputy Commander of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Pavel Elizarov the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine will form a "small" air defense unit to be headed by Colonel Yevhen Khlebnikov. About reported defense minister Mikhail Fedorov.

"Its key task is to build a system that can quickly counteract challenges to protect the sky," the statement said.

Fedorov noted that Khlebnikov has combat and management experience, having served in anti-aircraft missile units of the Air Force and worked at the General Staff in charge of air defense development.

Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, the colonel has been in charge of the use of Bayraktar drones during the defense of Kyiv and Chernihiv region, and participated in the planning of the operation to liberate Zmiinyi Island. In 2014-2015, he participated in the battles for Donetsk airport.

Fedorov also stated that Russia's terrorization of civilians does not stop, and the occupiers are constantly improving drone modifications and attack tactics to achieve their goals. Thus, over the past month, the invaders have launched more than 6,000 drones in Ukraine.

New risks are emerging every day, in particular those related to the use of UAVs by Russians with Starlinkthe Minister emphasized.

"This requires an effective system of small air defense and interceptors. At the request of the President, we are changing our approach to defending the sky to improve the effectiveness of countering enemy attacks," the Defense Minister added.

• on January 26, Fedorov said that in 2025, as part of the was affected more than 800,000 targets, including 240,000 Russians.