Russia reports downing five Ukrainian military balloons in Kyiv's latest apparent war innovation

Firefighters work on a building that was partially destroyed after a Russian bombardment in Chernihiv, Ukraine, Wednesday, April 17, 2024. Three Russian missiles slammed into a downtown area of the northern Ukrainian city of Chernihiv on Wednesday, hitting an eight-floor …

Neither Russian nor Ukrainian officials have provided details about the secretive balloons, which Moscow authorities and media have reported on the battlefield in recent weeks.’s military has been driving innovation since the war began in February 2022, notably adapting drones for wide use against the bigger Kremlin forces.

According to Russian news reports, the Ukrainian balloons are equipped with a GPS module and carry explosives. They reportedly are harder to detect and could carry a bigger payload than more common small drones. It is not clear if they are helium or hot air or another type of balloon. The balloons aren’t able to maneuver in the air. The GPS module is likely used to coordinate the release of explosives if the balloon floats over a specific area, with the aim of sowing panic on the ground and distracting Russian air defense assets.As well as the balloons, Russia claimed it intercepted two Ukrainian tactical missiles, 19 rockets fired from multiple rocket launchers and 16 drones during the night.

The death toll from a Russian missile attack on a downtown area of the northern Ukrainian city of Chernihiv on Wednesday rose to 18, with 78 people injured, authorities said Thursday.President Volodymyr Zelenskyy appealed late Wednesday to European Union leaders for more air defense equipment, and Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba told a meeting of G7 foreign ministers in Italy on Thursday that “the one and the only issue on my agenda here … is air defense.

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