The Low-Down: Ukrainian Soldier Shoots Down Russian Cruise Missile With Machine Gun

There's luck and there's skill. Both were involved. And the result is both impressive and amazing. JL

Militarnyi reports:

In civilian life, Serhii used to work as a medic, and now he is on combat duty in a mobile AA fire team. “Upon receiving the command, my comrades and I went to our position. We were informed over the radio that our target was close. A few seconds later, we saw an enemy missile flying toward Vasylkiv. I took my machine gun and opened fire. I was thinking only one thing: I have to hit it! When I fired a round, I saw the missile begin to deviate from its course and descend,” the soldier recalls.
A serviceman of the Air Force shot down a Russian cruise missile with a machine gun.
The press service of the Air Force Command reported on this.
“Shooting down an enemy missile with a machine gun is an extremely difficult task. But responsibility and the understanding that the lives of many people depend on you makes the impossible possible,” says Serhii, who uses the call sign “Dr. Mom.”

In civilian life, Serhii used to work as a medic, and now he is on combat duty in a mobile AA fire team.
The soldier recalls how, on the morning of June 12, his unit intercepted an enemy missile heading for the Kyiv region.
A fragment of a cruise missile. Source: Command of the Air Force of Ukraine
“Upon receiving the command ‘ready,’ my comrades and I immediately went to our position. We were informed over the radio that our target was close. A few seconds later, we saw an enemy missile flying toward Vasylkiv. Without hesitation, I took my machine gun and opened fire. I was thinking only one thing: I have to hit it! When I fired a round, I saw the missile begin to deviate from its course and descend,” the soldier recalls.
Serhii admits that at that moment, he was overwhelmed with emotion. He believed that he had really shot down an enemy missile with his machine gun only when he saw the wreckage with his own eyes.

“Now, when recounting the details of that morning, Serhii is a bit embarrassed, saying he did nothing special. But we know that it is people like Serhii who protect Ukrainians from enemy missiles and drones, bringing our victory closer,” the Air Force command says.
The type of weapon that destroyed the cruise missile was not reported, but the standard armament and characteristic holes indicate that the RPK (Kalashnikov’s hand-held machine gun) could have been used.
Militarnyi has already reported a confirmed case of shooting down an enemy cruise missile with a machine gun.
The moment of hit of a cruise missile. Freeze frame from the Ground Forces video
On March 21, it was reported that during the night missile attack, the Ground Force mobile anti-aircraft (AA) fire team destroyed an enemy cruise missile with Browning M2 machine gun fire.
The skills of mobile AA fire teams are honed through constant training. Militarnyi previously reported that Ukraine uses a copy of Shahed (“Geran-2”) for training air defense units.