+2 Kyiv
He made it evidently clear in his Focus interview from April 25.
“No doubt, Ukrainian drones can cover such a distance, and this does not present a challenging task”, he said.
On April 6, Mr. Yatsenko announced that any Ukrainian UAV manufacturer whose drone reaches Moscow and lands in the Red Square during the Victory Day parade [May 9], will be eligible for a 20 million UAH reward. This sum is deposited in a special Monobank account, and everyone is encouraged to increase the size of the prize. It has grown by 214 thousand UAH since deposition.
Volodymyr Yatsenko said in his Focus interview, that the "May 9" (Victory Day) campaign can be successful because of the number of drones launched toward the capital city of the aggressor-state.
“We have a Ukrainian proverb “many hands make work light”. Today’s air defense versus UAV battle shows that a flock of 20 drones can penetrate any air defense system, which we can see on the example of “Shahed” drones, that are rather primitive by nature, but due to the numbers deployed are breaking through the most modern means of air defense. The “Pantsir” complex, like any other missile defense system, can be effective against several UAVs, but will not be able to take down a flock of them. 30 to 50 drones will overcome any “Pantsir”, even if there are three or four of them securing the Red Square”, he explained.
According to Volodymyr Yatsenko, the competition that he announced earlier has already gained attention of many Ukrainian drone manufacturers; the money prize “has resonated with even some russian model aircraft enthusiasts”.
“For them, the distance to the Red Square can be less, but the risk of being apprehended by russia’s Federal Security Service, FSB, is way more tangible”, concluded Mr. Yatsenko.
