Watch dramatic moment Ukrainian nursery teacher takes out incoming Russian missile with rocket launcher
18 November 2024, 15:12
A Ukrainian soldier was filmed successfully shooting down a Russian cruise missile during her first combat launch.
Nataliia Hrabarchuk worked as a nursery school teacher before becoming a soldier to fight against Russia following the start of the war in Ukraine.
The footage, which emerged on Ukraine’s Western Air Command Facebook page, shows Hrabarchuk destroying the Kh-101 long-range missile on Sunday morning during Russia’s latest large-scale attack.
The clip shows Hrabarchuk dropping to her knees in joy after firing an Igla MANPADS - a man-portable air defence system launched from her shoulder.
Ukrainian soldier takes down cruise missile in first combat launch
Ms Hrabarchuk, a volunteer member of Ukraine's air defence commence, said: “When the enemy missile was in front of me, I threw away all emotions and excitement. I had made hundreds of training launches on simulators.
"And here – the first combat and on target.”
Kyiv officials have described the attack on Sunday as "one of the largest" attacks of the war so far with 210 missiles and drones fired into Ukraine.
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Ukraine’s air force said it managed to destroy over half of these weapons but 10 people were killed including eight in the city of Sumy in north Ukraine.
A further 11 were killed on Sunday night including two children, after a Russian missile hit an apartment building in Sumy.
It comes as the Kremlin has issued a stark World War Three warning after Joe Biden 'allowed Ukraine to use US long-range missiles in Russia'.
Mr Biden made the decision after months of pleas from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
But the Kremlin has accused the US of seeking to escalate the conflict in Ukraine with several Russian politicians warning that it will lead to World War Three.
Russian politician Maria Butina, who is one of Putin's allies, said: "These guys, Biden's administration, [are] trying to escalate the situation to the maximum while they still have power and are still in office.
"I have a great hope that [Donald] Trump will overcome this decision if this has been made because they are seriously risking the start of World War Three which is not in anybody's interest."
