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Watch a former kindergarten teacher shoot down a Russian missile
A former kindergarten teacher has been honored with an award by Ukrainian defense minister Rustem Umerov for her role in shooting down a Russian missile during her first combat launch.
Natalia Grabarchuk, a Ukrainian soldier who completed a five-month training course before the mission, accurately launched the “Igla” anti-missile device to shoot down a Russian cruise missile that was headed towards a critical infrastructure facility in Ukraine’s Rivne region.
The mission, captured on video, was shared by the Ukrainian Air Forces on Sunday.
In the video, Grabarchuk is seen operating the anti-aircraft missile, resting the device on her shoulder before firing it. A plume of smoke can be seen, followed by the sound of a large explosion. Natalia falls to her knees as she is congratulated by her colleagues.
“Well done!” her colleagues say in the video. “You hit it, Natalia, you hit it!”
Reacting to the successful mission on Sunday, Grabarchuk said she was “very glad” that she had managed to hit the Russian missile, stating that she “threw away all emotions and excitement” during the mission. “After the combat work,” she said, “I let my emotions run wild.”
In a Facebook post Tuesday, Umerov called the former kindergarten teacher and her colleagues Olga Makisimenko and Valentina Steblevts, “incredible defenders” and “a symbol of professionalism and courage,” showing pictures of the soldiers being presented with their awards.
Thanking the soldiers for their service, the post called the mission and corresponding video “an inspiring moment for all of us.”