Volodymyr Zelensky – Slaughter Putin’s Laser Weapons:

– We are in the third month of the war. Russia is trying to find its miracle weapon. It clearly shows what a failure the war has been for them so far.

This is what the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyj, says in a new speech.

The statement comes shortly after the Russian Deputy Prime Minister for Military Development, Yury Borisov, claimed that the Russians had used two different laser weapons in Ukraine, writes the news agency Reuters.

However, the Pentagon stated at a press conference on Friday that they have no evidence that such a weapon has been in use.

Zelensky compared the statements about the laser weapons to Nazi Germany, which unveiled several “miracle weapons” to increase the morale of the German forces at the end of World War II.

– The clearer it was that the Germans had no chance in the war, the more propaganda there was about a fantastic weapon that would ensure a turning point, Zelenskyj said.

– 1500 kilometer

One of the new weapons is a weapon system called “Peresvet”, which is designed to dazzle satellites.

– The weapon has been deployed in several places and can dazzle satellites up to 1500 kilometers from Earth. There are also more powerful weapon systems that can burn drones and other military equipment, Borisov claimed.

He further claimed that a completely new air defense system, called “Zadira” has been used for the first time.

– While Peresvet blinds, the new generation of laser weapons leads to physical destruction of the target. It leads to thermal destruction, they burn up, Borisov said.

The Zadira system uses a laser beam to fire up drones up to five kilometers away, Borisov claims. He claims that Zadira can fire a drone in less than five seconds.

“Yes, the first prototypes are already in use there,” Borisov said when asked if the Zadira system had been used in Ukraine. Reuters.

– Strange

Associate professor at Luftkrigsskolen, Lars Peder Haga, tells Dagbladet that he has been wondering for a long time what the laser should be used for.

– There have not been many details about the weapon, but what we do know is that it is one of several superweapons that Putin presented in 2018. Previously, they have also been deployed together with the Russians’ intercontinental ballistic missiles, says Haga.

He then says that he thinks it sounds strange that the Russians have used the lasers if they are to be used to dazzle satellites, since Ukraine has no military satellites.

– Ukraine has in principle none of these, but they can of course use commercial satellites.

Advantages and disadvantages

The associate professor is not aware that laser weapons have been used during war in the past, but says that the US Navy has started experimenting with similar weapons.

– The advantage is that you do not consume ammunition in the same way as with ordinary weapons.

Haga also emphasizes that there are disadvantages with laser weapons.

– I know that people have struggled to test such weapons in practice. They have a large energy need and thus require a large electricity need.

– Not like Star Wars

Even if what the Russians say is true, these weapons will not change the balance of power in the war.

– Zelenskyj is right. This is not a miracle weapon, says Professor Uzi Rubin from the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security (JISS) to BBC.

– It took them several seconds to shoot down that drone. There are much better ways to do it. Using a Stinger or any anti-aircraft missile would be cheaper, faster and they have greater range, Rubin said.

Rubin says that even a very powerful laser will be too weak to make any significant difference on the battlefield.

– It’s not like Star Wars, where you point a laser gun at the bad guys and quickly press a button and they explode. It’s more like a microwave. If you want to boil a cup of water, it takes some time. The laser works in the same way. You have to aim it at the target and wait until it heats it up and destroys it, says Rubin.

–