A Ukrainian rookie soldier downed a Russian cruise missile with her first shot in live combat.
Natasha Grabarchuk, who used an 18 kg Igla surface-to-air (SAM) missile to destroy the enemy projectile, won praise from her colleagues for her successful shot, footage of which went viral.
She is part of an anti-aircraft missile unit within the Galicia-Volyn Radio Engineering Brigade of the "West" Air Command, Anton Gerashchenko, a former advisor to Ukraine’s interior minister, said on the X platform.
Grabarchuk previously completed a five-month course where she received training in various types of portable air defense systems, Polish public broadcaster TVP Info reported.
Grabarchuk was a kindergarten teacher before she joined the Ukrainian armed forces to defend her homeland.On the morning of November 17, Ukrainian Defender Nataliia Hrabarchuk destroyed a Russian cruise missile with Igla MANPADS. It was her first combat launch and her first hit!
— Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) November 17, 2024
Before joining the Army, Nataliia was a kindergarten teacher.
"When the enemy missile came before me, I… https://t.co/evxZ2bltg2 pic.twitter.com/HRcR8jVFwf
She is part of an anti-aircraft missile unit within the Galicia-Volyn Radio Engineering Brigade of the "West" Air Command, Anton Gerashchenko, a former advisor to Ukraine’s interior minister, said on the X platform.
Grabarchuk previously completed a five-month course where she received training in various types of portable air defense systems, Polish public broadcaster TVP Info reported.
More In Society MORE...
