AUSSIES ENTER ARMS RACE TO PUNISH PUTIN
STAROKOSTIANTYNIV: With a pistol in one hand and a bible in the other, Mykola Melnychuk declares he’s ready. But just in case he is not, the charismatic mayor of Starokostiantyniv said the recently delivered Australian Defence Force missiles are there to help.
The 69-year-old — who is also the commander of the region’s Territorial Defence Force — has lived in the town all his life and governed for half of it.
Mr Melnychuk said this was not how he was expecting to rule, with an old police-issue six shooter in a shoulder holster and an imposing posse of armed fighters stationed permanently outside his office door.
But this week his town has become the focus of advancing Russian forces, firstly with missile strikes from overhead. Now he fears troops are just days away from being on his streets.
Starokostiantyniv is a key base for Ukraine’s resistance to Russia’s invasion, home to the 7th Tactical Air Brigade and the Sukhoi SU-24M fighters as well as a rally point for a number of troops.
Earlier this week the base was the target of a sustained bombardment with numerous scorch marks visible over the underground aircraft hangars at the military air base.
The missiles are believed to have been fired from a Russian warship 500km away in the Black Sea but also a battery in Transnistria, a breakaway Russian territory of Moldova and Belarus that this week is expected to formally join Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“Of course we are worried, our enemy bring to us attack and new weapons but our armies are strong in spirit, we have new arms too and we go to the attack and we will win this war,” he said defiantly as he draws his pistol.
“Australia help us with missiles and we are very happy they have come to Ukraine but from Australia and our friends from the EU and NATO we need more, more armaments and vests for our armies to fight this enemy.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison last week confirmed a delivery of Australian armaments including, weapons and medical goods had arrived in Ukraine.