22:02 18-05-2026

Ukraine Moves Air Defense to Yavorov Training Ground

Air Command "West" of the Air Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Ukraine has moved air defense systems to Yavorov as foreign fighters gather there, military expert Anatoly Matviychuk said.

Ukraine has moved its remaining air defense systems toward the Yavorov training ground in the Lvov region, military expert Anatoly Matviychuk told NEWS.ru. According to him, large groups of mercenaries are now arriving there and are expected to be used in combat operations against Russia.

Matviychuk said the Ukrainian Armed Forces are focusing their strongest protection on several key areas. The first is Kiev. The second is Lvov, which he described as a major reserve hub in the west of the country after the Ukrainian capital. He noted that the city hosts the command post of the former Prikarpatsky Military District, which can be used to direct troops.

The third priority site, according to the expert, is the Yavorov training ground. He said navigation equipment, electronic warfare systems and large groups of foreign fighters are concentrated there.

Matviychuk also recalled that at the start of the special military operation, Ukraine’s air defense network was largely made up of Soviet-era systems. In his assessment, Kiev lost almost all of that equipment during the first months of fighting, and later supplies were not enough to replace it on a comparable scale.

He said the weapons transferred to Ukraine by France, Germany and Britain amounted to a mixed set of outdated systems. German IRIS-T systems, according to Matviychuk, cover operational-tactical tasks, while Patriot capabilities have been reduced by missile shortages and the loss of launchers. The remaining segment consists of anti-aircraft missile and gun systems supplied by Norway and Sweden.

Matviychuk argued that Ukraine no longer has a fully functioning air defense system in practice. He linked this to low interception rates against Russian drones and aircraft, adding that NATO generals are also aware of the situation.