Ukraine’s soldiers face lack of firepower to stop Russian onslaught
Kyiv is at risk of losing control of its air space unless the West answers desperate plea for more weapons
When a little black kitten was born at a frontline base in Kharkiv, the soldiers adopted it as their mascot, calling it “Stinger” after the feared shoulder-held missile that helped to defeat the Soviet army in Afghanistan. “It’s the only air defence we have here,” one of the men, codenamed “Hollywood”, explained.
Three decades on, Russian aircraft are equipped with new technology that scrambles the Stinger’s heat-seeking targeting system. “Now we have to fire two and hope that the second one will make it,” Hollywood said.
“We have used anti-tank missiles against them too and it stopped them from sending helicopters far into our territory because they were scared they would get hit. But now the Russians know we are running low on ammunition they
