Zelenskyy called for protecting the production of the Freyja antiballistic shield from Russian strikes - video

Alongside the search for missiles for the Patriot system, Ukraine is developing its own Freyja anti-ballistic project, led by the Ukrainian defense company Fire Point. One of Ukraine’s main tasks is to protect the production facilities of the anti-ballistic shield, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized during a joint press conference with Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić in Belgrade, reports UNN. 

At the same time, Ukraine is developing its own anti-ballistic project with Italy, Germany, Denmark, and other countries. Leadership of the project lies with the Ukrainian company Fire Point. It is the only private company developing anti-ballistic weapons. One state-owned company is also working on this, but I will not disclose its name. I mentioned Fire Point because they themselves are releasing relevant information. It is too late to talk about what kind of strikes they may face because of this. Everything must be done to ensure that these two companies are not destroyed by the enemy

Zelenskyy also noted that, during the first year of the full-scale war, Ukraine had already asked the United States to provide licenses that would allow it to launch production of Patriot systems and PAC-3 missiles. And although Ukraine now has an agreement with Donald Trump regarding the relevant licenses, if such a decision had been made four years ago, Ukraine’s and Europe’s production capabilities today would be fundamentally different. The President also sharply criticized the delays in making such decisions because of bureaucracy.

We would already be making Patriots for everyone, believe me. And Europe, which wants and would like to have Patriots, anti-ballistic systems, and missiles, would already have everything. But now we are dealing with paperwork, while what is flying at us is not a piece of paper, not a paper missile, but a real missile that kills people

The cost of the shortage of means to counter Russian ballistic weapons is measured in Ukrainian lives. During the press conference, journalists asked Zelenskyy about a child born in 2022 who was killed in yet another Russian attack. The boy had never lived in peacetime.

Zelenskyy himself reported that, over the previous 24 hours alone, 13 people had been killed and another 77 wounded as a result of Russian strikes on Ukraine. Twelve regions came under attack. According to him, virtually no power plants in Ukraine remain undamaged, while a significant number of railway stations, hospitals, universities, and civilian enterprises have been damaged or destroyed by Russian attacks.

Zelenskyy also called on partners to increase sanctions pressure on Russia’s missile complex. According to him, hundreds and thousands of components that Russia uses in its ballistic weapons continue to arrive from various countries around the world, including states that are partners of Ukraine.

These elements arrive and then strike our people, killing children, civilians, and soldiers, of course. Therefore, imposing sanctions on Russian weapons and on the supply of these elements is, first and foremost

Reminder

Fire Point announced another attempt to discredit the Freyja anti-ballistic program. Some Ukrainian media outlets spread fake information claiming that, allegedly on behalf of the company, they had promised to "close Ukraine’s skies to ballistic missiles by the end of the month."

Fire Point CEO Iryna Terekh emphasized that the company had not made any such statements. According to her, such manipulations create false expectations among a society that lives under the threat of Russian ballistic attacks every day and are aimed at discrediting the work on Freyja.

Fire Point co-owner and chief designer Denys Shtilerman clarified that the full-scale launch of the anti-ballistic program is scheduled for mid-2027.