Admittedly The More Difficult It Is To Overcome Russian Attacks, Ukrainian Air Force Officials: Enemy Missiles Equipped With Radar And Thermal Traps

Rescue teams are trying to find victims as a result of Russian airstrikes. (Twitter/@ZelenskyyUa)

JAKARTA - Ukrainian Air Force officials admit it is increasingly difficult to fend off Russian airstrikes, with demand for additional support for air defense systems to be re-aired.

Russian airstrikes on Monday afternoon local time against the capital Kyiv and a number of other cities killed dozens of people and hundreds more injured.

Citing Reuters July 9, the Ukrainian Air Force said their air defense system fired 30 of the 38 missiles launched.

Meanwhile, the Ukrainian Security Service identified the missile as a Kh-101 cruise missile. Quoted from Missile Threat, this is a type of missile launched from the air developed by Russia.

As a stealth missile, the missile is designed to defeat the air defense system by flying at low altitude and 'confined' the terrain to evade the radar system.

If Kh-101 carries a conventional warhead, it is believed that its twin brother Kh-102 can carry a nuclear warhead payload.

Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said Ukraine still lacks air defenses and urged Kyiv allies to immediately supply more systems to protect cities from Russian attacks.

Meanwhile, Air Force representative Colonel Yuri Ignat said it was increasingly difficult to fend off Russian attacks, as Moscow forces continued to step up their bombing tactics.

"Enstrict missiles are equipped with additional means, including radar and thermal traps," Ignat wrote on Facebook.

The missile flew at very low altitude during Monday's attack, he said.

As previously reported, President Volodymyr Zelensky criticized Russia's airstrikes and expressed his condolences in his post on social media, as the death toll increased to 38 people and injured to 190 people.

One of the missiles launched in the deadliest wave of airstrikes in recent months, hit a major children's hospital in Kyiv.

"We will repay these people, we will give a strong response from our side to Russia, of course. The question for our partners is: can they respond?" President Zelensky said during a speech at a press conference in Warsaw, with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk.

The Russian Ministry of Defense said its forces were attacking the targets of the defense industry and flight bases.

"The allegations made by Kyiv officials about the intentional Russian missile attack against civilian targets are completely untrue," the ministry said, launching TASS.

"A number of published photos and videos reports from Kyiv make it clear that the damage was caused by Ukraine's falling air defense missile launched from missile systems stationed within the city limits," the statement said.

According to the ministry, the Russian Armed Forces carried out a high-precision attack on the location of Ukraine's defense industry and air base, in response to Kyiv's efforts to attack energy facilities within Russia. All targeted targets were hit.