Ukrainian Armed Forces spokesman Yurii Ignat on Tuesday denounced the alleged launching of balloons with corner reflectors by Russia, although he stressed that «the situation is under control».
In statements to the media, Ignat stressed that the Ukrainian Air Defense has made use of radar to observe these aerial objects, which move at low speed due to air currents.
This alert by Ukraine comes on the same day that Moldova and Romania, both neighboring countries, have reported the appearance of possible weather balloons in their skies. In fact, Chisinau has even closed the airspace.
Questioned about whether the balloons warned by Kiev and those sighted in Romania and Moldova could be related, Ignat did not say for sure, although he has slipped that Russian balloons could fly into the airspace of neighboring countries.
The balloons allegedly used by Russia can be of different sizes, being able to exceed even one and a half meters in diameter, and are capable of supporting the weight of a corner reflector.
Such reflectors are designed in such a way that they reflect light back to the point from which they are viewed, thus dazzling the observer. According to Ignat, Russia would be using this type of balloons for diversionary purposes.
Since early February, several countries have reported the appearance of suspicious objects over their airspace, especially weather balloons. The first was the United States, which shot down an alleged Chinese spy balloon. Beijing, for its part, acknowledged the existence of the object but stressed its scientific and meteorological purpose.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
