DW correspondent Sonia Phalnikar joined a group of journalists given a closer look at how mobile air-defense units stop missiles and drones from hitting their targets.
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00:00They fight in the skies over Ukraine every single night.
00:11Mobile air defence units like these take on deadly Russian air attacks.
00:18These units are not as sophisticated as the Western-provided Patriot or IRIS-T systems,
00:25but they're cheaper and can move quickly.
00:29Inside Kiev, this group uses two different weapons systems.
00:34A Turkish-supplied heavy machine gun modelled on its better-known American counterpart,
00:39the M2 Browning, to shoot down drones.
00:43The main goal is to shoot down targets flying at low altitude.
00:47We have thermal imaging on it, which allows us to detect, make corrections and destroy
00:53the target.
00:56And they also use this.
00:58The portable Soviet-era Igla, similar to the American-made Stinger anti-aircraft missile
01:04system.
01:05It's capable of shooting down cruise missiles as well.
01:11After finding the target, the missile emits a sound and light signal.
01:15A green flashlight lights up here.
01:19This means you can shoot at the target.
01:25This unit was put together just months after Russia's full-scale invasion.
01:30They had just three days to train on the weapons before being pulled into the fighting.
01:36There are a lot of attacks now.
01:38They're massive.
01:39They can even last all day.
01:44Even when air defence teams like these successfully shoot down a missile, there's danger from
01:49the fiery wreckage of their target.
01:52Falling missile and drone debris often kill people and damage buildings and infrastructure.
02:00There are cases when we shoot a Shahed drone, but it flies for another five to ten kilometres.
02:05Then at one point it falls.
02:08Recently a girl died near Vasil'kiv.
02:12I read the comments.
02:14It's terrible.
02:16People say the military is to blame.
02:19But how many people would a missile destroy if it hits its target in Kiev, Dnipro or Odessa?
02:26After nearly three years of war, the men here say they need more ammunition and weapons
02:31to continue countering Russian attacks.
02:34And they say there's one more thing that's just as important.
02:41People have to understand that this is a war.
02:45And in order to end it, we need to mobilise so that people can be rotated.
02:51So that when we are given weapons, we can train and have the opportunity to defend ourselves
02:58with these weapons.
03:04Talks with Western allies may result in more weapons.
03:08But it will still be Ukrainians themselves who'll have to take the personal risks on
03:13the front lines.