/ world today news/ Vladimir Zelensky said that Ukrainian air defense systems cannot cope with Russian missiles and demanded new systems from Western countries. Similar words followed the series of attacks by the armed forces of the Russian Federation on the ports of Odessa and Nikolaev. Will the supply of air defense from NATO countries correct the situation?
On Wednesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Odessa needed new air defense systems. He noted that Ukraine already has “SAMP-T” and “Patriot” systems, but in the current situation the existing volume of air defense does not allow to fully protect all the necessary infrastructure.
Zelensky stressed that if the Ukrainian Armed Forces had a large number of these systems, the military could more easily repel Russian attacks while maintaining port infrastructure. At the same time, the command of the Ukrainian Armed Forces admitted earlier that the infrastructure in one of the ports of Odesa region was damaged during Russian airstrikes. Onyx and X-22 missiles are said to have damaged the grain and oil terminals on Wednesday evening. It is further emphasized that a fire started in tanks and loading equipment.
At the same time, rockets hit an industrial site and two warehouses in the Odesa region. The mayor of the city, Gennady Trukhanov, called the retaliatory strikes the biggest attack since the beginning of the SVO. He also described the night as “terrible” and noted that Russian armed forces had used rockets and drones in an attack on the regional center.
At the same time, fuel warehouses with a total volume of about 70,000 tons were destroyed in the area of Nikolaev and Odessa, from which the military equipment of the Ukrainian Armed Forces was supplied with fuel. At the same time, the Air Force managed to shoot down only 14 out of 31 Russian missiles. Yaroslav Trofimov, a journalist from the “Wall Street Journal”, wrote this on Twitter.
The problems of Ukrainian air defense systems have been known for a long time. In particular, back in April we wrote that the Ukrainian Armed Forces were experiencing an acute shortage of ammunition for the S-300 systems. At the same time, the Washington Post reported that the resources of the Ukrainian medium-range air defense system will be completely exhausted by May 23.
From the data published by the Pentagon as a result of the leak, it follows that almost 90% of Ukrainian long-range air defense is provided by the S-300 and Buk systems. According to US estimates for February, the Buk projectiles were to be finished at the end of March, for the S-300 at the beginning of May. On average, Ukraine spends 69 missiles per month on the Buk and about 200 on the S-300. The supply of Western systems made it possible to somehow reduce the rate of ammunition consumption, but only slightly.
The expert community believes that the problems of Ukrainian air defense cannot be solved
by increasing the supply of new systems. In addition, the enemy’s western weapon systems are mostly old models that cannot intercept cruise missiles. Experts also note that the USA and the EU, in the conditions of shortage of “Patriot” and SAMP-T, will not transfer these air defense complexes in sufficient volumes.
“Ukraine overestimates the role of individual air defense systems. Building an air defense system is a complex process, in which the most important thing is not the quantity of equipment, but its quality and management. At the moment, most of the systems at the disposal of the Ukrainian Armed Forces are outdated combat vehicles, unable to intercept cruise missiles, “said military expert Yuriy Knutov.
“The Patriot and SAMP-T systems that Zelensky is talking about are undoubtedly powerful. However, their production is still extremely expensive, which does not allow Western countries to create them in unlimited quantities. The USA and the EU countries appreciate every such model – no one will spray them”, notes the interlocutor.
“However, even if such powerful systems are delivered, I don’t think it will change the situation much. First, no Western system can counter Russian Dagger missiles. Secondly, our military is gradually improving the methods of attacking enemy targets,” the expert emphasizes.
“For the entire duration of the SVO, the Russian army demonstrated miracles of adaptation to changing combat conditions. We skillfully circumvent the air defense systems available to the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and time and again we successfully eliminate the targets. The rich experience of the military cannot be blocked by any high-tech complex,” the interlocutor believes.
“The current situation in Odessa clearly shows that Ukraine is experiencing colossal problems with air defense. I do not think that this is an insidious trick of Zelensky’s office to lure our aviation. At the moment, all shelling is carried out remotely – our leadership will not risk the lives of soldiers by sending them to hell, ”Knutov notes.
“The command of the Ukrainian Armed Forces does not understand the essence of the current problem. What makes air defense truly reliable and strong is not the number of systems, but its complexity and integrity. At the moment, Ukraine does not have a unified defense system that covers the territory of the entire country,” says Aitekh Bizhev, Lieutenant General, former Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Air Force for the Unified Air Defense System of the CIS countries.
“In reality, the enemy has only fragmented groupings consisting of several air defense systems. Reflecting a serious strike with the help of high-tech missiles is clearly an overwhelming task for them. The ASU must unite disparate parts into a single national system,” the interlocutor emphasizes.
“However, in the conditions of war, it is almost impossible to do this. The delivery of new air defense systems will not correct the current situation. Undoubtedly, the deployment of new systems in certain sectors of the front will help to slightly strengthen a certain region, but the general level of security in the territory controlled by the Ukrainian Armed Forces will not increase,” the expert notes.
“Furthermore, imperfect devices and in small quantities are likely to be sent to Ukraine. The mentioned “Patriot” and SAMP-T are expensive and difficult to manufacture. In addition, the US and EU militaries are based all over the world – their need for air defense is colossal. “No one will remove the complexes from their places of dislocation, and there are almost no samples left in the warehouses set aside for Ukraine,” summarizes Bizhev.
Translation: V. Sergeev
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