The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine has approved a resolution that provides for the creation of air defense groups from among the participants of volunteer formations of territorial communities. The Ministry of Defense informed about this, emphasizing the importance of involving trained citizens in defending the sky from Russian air attacks, particularly kamikaze drones.
This is reported by Kyiv24
Organization of Air Defense Groups and Their Tasks
The Ministry of Defense, in collaboration with the Ministry of Digital Transformation, is implementing an experimental project in accordance with the decision of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief’s Headquarters. The main goal of this project is to create an effective system for detecting, tracking, and neutralizing aerial threats, as well as to involve prepared and motivated citizens in carrying out air defense tasks amid increasing enemy activity.
Air Defense Groups (ADG) will be formed on a territorial basis. Their activities will be coordinated by the commanders of the Territorial Defense Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and on air defense matters by the Command of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
The ADG will consist of volunteers who are not subject to mobilization and have undergone special training. They will be granted the right to use strike drones, manned aircraft, personal weapons, electronic warfare means, as well as artificial intelligence systems to carry out airspace protection tasks.
New Legal Mechanisms and Social Guarantees for Volunteers
The government resolution provides for the possibility of using private manned aircraft in air defense. For the first time in Ukraine, a legal mechanism for their involvement has been regulated: the procedures for the temporary registration of such aircraft have been significantly simplified, and the registration period has been reduced to 10 days instead of the previous 2-6 months for state aircraft.
“Air Defense Groups (ADG) will be formed on a territorial basis. They will be subordinate to the commanders of the Territorial Defense Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and on air defense task execution matters – to the Command of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine,” the ministry explains.
Defense Minister Rustem Umerov emphasized that there were previously no legal grounds for involving private aircraft in air defense, although aware citizens had long suggested using their own equipment to repel enemy air attacks. According to the minister, the implementation of such a mechanism will significantly enhance defense capabilities in response to the mass use of strike UAVs by Russia.
Funding for the project will be provided from the Ministry of Defense’s budget, local budgets, voluntary contributions from citizens through the UNITED24 platform, and other sources not prohibited by law. Participants in the air defense groups will receive social guarantees equivalent to military personnel, including financial support, benefits, and insurance payments.
The Ministry of Defense expects that the implementation of the project will significantly increase the effectiveness of territorial air defense, as well as improve combat readiness and response speed to new aerial threats.
On the night of June 10, Russian troops carried out a massive attack on Kyiv, resulting in destruction in seven districts of the city, as well as damage to St. Sophia Cathedral.