Minister of Defence Rustem Umerov addressed an extraordinary meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Council, which was held at the request of Ukraine. The speech focused on the recent massive russian air strikes and the need to strengthen Ukraine’s air defence.

“The total explosive power of combined air strikes on Ukraine since the beginning of the year exceeds nine kilotons. Only 3% of these russian missiles, drones and guided bombs hit military targets, while 97% hit civilian infrastructure,” Rustem Umerov said.

The Minister of Defence of Ukraine stressed that according to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, 712 out of 1,804 civilian casualties confirmed by the UN over the past three months were caused by missile and barrage attacks.

Rustem Umerov also provided a detailed overview of Ukraine’s urgent air defence needs.

“The support of partners is important in this matter. It will save thousands of innocent lives. The more russian missiles are shot down in Ukrainian skies, the less threat they will pose to NATO member states bordering Ukraine,” the Defence Minister added.