This article was originally published by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and is reprinted with permission.
Authorities in Kyiv said on February 15 that the city’s air-defense forces shot down “most” of what they said were six Russian balloons that appeared over the city and might have carried intelligence equipment or reflectors to interfere with the air-defense system of Ukraine. The statement also suggested that the Russian side may have sent the balloons in an attempt to detect and exhaust Ukrainian air-defense units. There has been no comment on the balloons from the Russian side.
