Associated Press, Ukraine's army will resume tests of surface-to-air missiles, four years after the accidental downing of a commercial airliner during a military exercise, the Defense Ministry said Oct. 5.
Defense Minister Anatoly Gritsenko and other top-ranking commanders are scheduled to watch the test of the S-200 missile Thursday from a training facility in the southern Crimean peninsula, the ministry said in a statement.
The test will be the first since October 2001, when a stray S-200 missile hit a passenger jet over the Black Sea, killing 78 people. Ukraine suspended live surface-to-air missiles tests following the incident.
Ukraine's impoverished and poorly trained army has been plagued by accidents, with more than 700 servicemen killed in mishaps over the last six years.
The country's top military commander, Gen. Serhiy Kirychenko, said in July that the army has only a limited capability to defend the country due to economic hardship. Because of a lack of funds, the military would be limited to just maintaining and upgrading its existing weaponry and equipment for years to come, instead of making major new purchases.
