Ukraine Needs Additional Air Defence Systems

Russian ballistics reinforces Ukraine's need for additional air defence systems.

On the night of 12 November, the Russians once again used an Iskander-M ballistic missile; a day earlier, the same missile was shot down by a Patriot SAM system on its way to Kyiv. In addition, X-59 guided aircraft missiles and many Iranian-made attack drones are systematically used. UAVs, among other things, are used to detect Ukrainian air defences: this indicates that the Russian Air Force is developing routes for missile strikes after the onset of cold weather. Consequently, establishing a deep echeloned air defence system around every large Ukrainian city is critical.

One of Putin's key goals in Ukraine is to create an energy catastrophe: the so-called blackout. The destruction of the enemy's energy infrastructure is explicitly prescribed in soviet military doctrine, as is the destruction of entire population centres along with their inhabitants, if necessary. Russian military doctrine is rewritten from Soviet military doctrine, so it is not surprising that Russian troops are committing massive war crimes against civilians in their full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Putin wanted to deprive Ukrainians of light and heat last winter: massive missile strikes on Ukrainian cities were carried out for that very purpose. Only timely deliveries of effective air defence systems by Western countries prevented the collapse of the Ukrainian energy sector.

Putin's plan to create an energy collapse in Ukraine must once again fail. Air defence systems such as Patriot, NASAMS and IRIS-T have repeatedly proven their effectiveness - they shoot down almost all types of missiles in service with the Russian Federation. Additional supplies of these systems will allow Ukraine to withstand another difficult winter and save light and heat for millions of Ukrainians.