The president of Ukraine calls for more air defense systems. – The only thing that can stop missile attacks in a reasonable time, says researcher Tor Bukkvoll to VG.
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy describes air defense as his “number one priority”.
The statement came after Russia’s last attacks on cities throughout Ukraine.
On Tuesday, in a video conference with the leaders of the G7 countries, Zelenskii addressed a clear call to world leaders: send more air defense systems.
– When Ukraine receives a sufficient supply of modern and effective air defense systems, Russia’s main form of terror, missile strikes, will cease to function, Zelenskii said.
He will receive support from NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg on Wednesday morning:
– Allies have already provided air defense systems, but Ukraine needs more.
And it’s urgent, according to Stoltenberg.
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FT: Struggling with production
Representatives from nearly 50 countries will meet in Brussels on Wednesday, among other things, to discuss how to meet Ukraine’s needs.
Germany and the United States have already accelerated the delivery of air defense systems to Ukraine.
Men Financial Times writes that the allies are struggling to protect Ukraine’s air defense systems. Anonymous sources report this to the newspaper.
– Several countries have already contributed something, but there is a lack of production capacity, says one of them.
According to the newspaper’s source, several NATO countries will have their air defense systems overdue by several years.
Norway is among the countries that have launched anti-aircraft missiles up to Ukraine.
– Norway supplies 17,000 artillery shells through a British fund. This goes beyond the artillery carriages and ammunition Norway has provided in the past, Defense Minister Bjørn Arild Gram (SP) said Wednesday in Brussels.
The ammunition comes straight from the factory and is manufactured in Bulgaria, Gram says, before meeting with other NATO defense ministers in Brussels on Wednesday and Thursday.
It can change the war
When defense chief Eirik Kristoffersen in a Interview VG recently warned against underestimating the Russians, he pointed to air defense as particularly important in maintaining the Ukrainian war effort.
– If Russian fighter planes and helicopters gain air supremacy, it will change the war on the ground, the defense chief tells VG.
The importance of air defense systems became particularly clear during Monday’s attackAssociate Professor at Norwegian Air Force School, Lars Peder Haga, tells VG.
– The weapons Russia uses in the attack are weapons that can be intercepted or shot down with the help of good air defense, explains Haga.
Tor Bukkvoll, chief scientist of the Norwegian Defense Institute, points out that although the missiles used by Russia can also be shot down by plane, the Ukrainians do not have enough planes.
– The attacks this week show how dangerous such missile attacks are and the air defense systems are probably the only thing capable of stopping the missile attacks in a reasonable time, Bukkvoll tells VG.
In the eight months since the war began, Ukrainians have likely exhausted much of the air defense they had at the beginning, says Haga, which has Russian air power as one of its main areas.
– This is a type of weapon that cannot be reused. So the Ukrainians are completely dependent on the delivery of new systems, he tells VG.
It can often take some time to get new arms deliveries, because large weapon systems aren’t something Western countries stockpile, but are built to order, Haga says.
I don’t believe in a new boss
On Saturday it became known that the new commander-in-chief of all Russian forces fighting in Ukraine is Sergei Surovikin, who until now has been the head of the Russian aviation.
Lead researcher Tor Bukkvoll doesn’t think the appointment will make a big difference.
– In war, it can sometimes help replace the commander in chief. But in this case, there are very few who believe this will have any effect, and it’s not even the case that Surovikin has shown any genius on the battlefield, Bukkvoll tells VG.
The only thing that can do this to Russia’s advantage is if the new commander-in-chief manages to restore combat morale in his forces, Bukkvoll believes.
– But I don’t see that happening. And without that, I think Russia is gradually losing.
