Zelenskyy: Ukraine expects to receive first Gripen squadron in 10 months

Ukraine expects to receive the first Gripen fighters with a corresponding weapons kit over the next 10 months, which, in particular, will help protect against Russia’s KABs (guided aerial bombs), President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said.

"We expect to receive the first capabilities, to receive the first Gripens, over the next 10 months. We will do everything possible on our part. And we are very much counting on this. It is important that these are aircraft with a corresponding weapons kit. This will help, among other things, our defense against Russia’s guided aerial bombs. We are talking specifically about a Gripen squadron for Ukraine," Zelenskyy said at a press conference in Sweden.

Answering questions from journalists, the president explained that Russia launches aerial bombs (KABs) from its aircraft from the territory of Russia or from the temporarily occupied territory of Ukraine; the range is more than 100 kilometers, so Ukraine did not have enough air defense to destroy these aerial bombs.

"They (KABs) destroy not only civilian and critical infrastructure, but they also destroy all border regions. Everything there is being destroyed… This is Donbas, this is Donetsk, Luhansk regions, this is Kharkiv, this is Sumy, many different cities and villages that are being completely destroyed by KABs," the head of state noted.

According to him, Gripen aircraft with specific weaponry, especially the Meteor missile, can inflict damage at a distance of 200 kilometers.

"Plus, we think that we will be able to push back these Russian planes, and they will not be able to use KABs en masse… And there are many things that I cannot share with you publicly, these are about other things," Zelenskyy remarked.