Russian missile attacks: the blind spot of Ukraine’s anti-aircraft defenses

While the Ukrainian air defense is apparently well prepared for Russian fighter jets, it says it is lacking in defense against missiles. The army is therefore hoping for more modern systems.

Russia has apparently discovered one of the weakest points in Ukraine’s anti-aircraft defenses and is exploiting it. Ukraine manages to keep Russian bombers out of Ukrainian territory for the most part. But it can do little against missiles. So now Russia is betting more and more on it.

The spokesman for the command of the Ukrainian air force, Yuriy Ignat, said that Ukraine had shot down more than 200 Russian fighter jets. “That forced them to change the operational tactics of their air force,” he says. “At the moment, the enemy air force is mostly acting from afar. They don’t fly closer because they have understood that they will be destroyed. That’s why they strike with rockets – from the sea, from the ground and from the air.”

“We need modern systems”

Although the statistics cannot be independently verified, at least rocket attacks seem to have increased. Mykolaiv, Dnipro, Chuuyev, Odessa, Vinnytsia – these are just a few of the cities where rockets have recently landed. After that, the same picture everywhere: fires, houses in rubble, many injured.

“Our anti-aircraft defense is primarily designed to shoot down targets with a larger reflecting surface. They are detected by radar,” Ignat said on Ukrainian radio. “Missiles, on the other hand, are not very noticeable, so we don’t always succeed in intercepting them. That’s difficult for us. We therefore need modern systems capable of hitting such targets.”

Ukraine will get some of them, says Ignat. Currently it is about the NASAMS systems, a co-production from the USA and Norway. They have an average range of up to 25 kilometers. “There is an arrangement for two batteries that will not only contain launch systems, but also charge vehicles, equipment for detecting targets and for operating the systems,” says Ignat. A battery of the more modern NASAMS consists of twelve launch systems. The IRIS-T systems for the Ukrainian air defense will come from Germany. The first is expected in October.

More multiple rocket launchers apparently arrived

There is also news in terms of heavy artillery. Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov tweeted that more multiple rocket launchers – the so-called M270 MLRS – had now arrived in the country. Depending on the equipment, they can shoot at a distance of between 35 and a little more than 80 kilometers. The Ukrainian armed forces have been using the HIMARS, which were delivered a little earlier, for about two weeks. They have now been able to attack dozens of Russian ammunition depots, command posts and technical depots.

With the delivery of the heavy artillery systems, the discussion about possible attacks on the Crimean peninsula flared up in Ukraine. “Currently, the Crimean peninsula has become a hub for the transfer of all technology and weapons from Russia to the south of our country,” says Vadym Skybitskyj, a representative of the Ukrainian secret service. “Combat equipment and ammunition are being accumulated in Crimea, which will later be supplied to the occupying Russian army.” Skybyzkyj therefore did not rule out the use of M270 and HIMARS in Crimea.

Ukraine is hoping for military successes, especially in the southern regions. So far, there are no signs of a major counter-offensive by the ground forces. Given the new supplies, the armed forces are likely to continue attacking Russian arms depots.