(Dan Tri) – As many people predicted, Russia once again stepped up missile and drone attacks against Ukraine during the winter.
Patriot air defense missile complex made by the US (Illustration: Rubryka).
According to Kyiv Post, during Christmas and New Year, the world witnessed Ukrainian cities suffer an unprecedented attack by 300 Russian ballistic and cruise missiles.
Ukraine’s air defense and electronic warfare shot down more than 70% of targets, however, missed missiles hit the target, destroying infrastructure and causing civilian casualties.
As attacks on urban areas continue, Kiev faces the dilemma of whether to shield civilians or protect its soldiers on the front lines.
Ukraine has chosen to arrange most of its anti-aircraft fire networks to protect cities.
Commentators often point to Ukraine’s limited achievements on the ground.
Ukrainian ground commanders were forced to disperse troops and equipment to avoid losses, making it difficult, if not impossible, to concentrate forces, move to the front, and even engage the enemy.
In any modern engagement, protecting the airspace on the battlefield is one of the prerequisites for conducting offensive operations and reclaiming territory.
If the United States continues to hesitate in providing military support to Ukraine, this vicious cycle will continue.
The US and the West have provided more than 25,000 man-portable shoulder-mounted air defense missiles (MANPADS), but with a range of only 2-3km, MANPADS have never been designed to protect large battlefields.
Unfortunately, MANPADS are often the only anti-aircraft weapon that Ukraine currently has to protect the entire front line, severely limiting maneuver options.
In fact, Ukraine has made the most of what it has at hand, spreading its air defense systems to cover as much airspace as possible, while implementing prevention, counterattack and ambush tactics,
Very cleverly, Ukrainian engineers even converted NATO missiles to be able to fire from former Soviet systems, including captured Russian launchers.
What Ukraine urgently needs is not only an increase in the number of air defense weapons, but also the ability to connect these systems and sensors into an integrated nationwide air defense network.
A Ukrainian IRIS-T SLM air defense missile complex (Photo: General Staff of the Ukrainian Army).
The US-made long-range Patriot missile system – which has proven its power by shooting down many Russian missiles, including the Kinzhal hypersonic missile – serves as the foundation of Ukraine’s air defense system.
NASAMS – Norway’s advanced air defense missile system – is an effective solution, as it uses NATO’s AMRAAM missile and is capable of connecting distributed batteries.
To regain the sky, Kiev urgently needs a modern jet fighter with the ability to `change the game`.
Until Ukraine gets the necessary weapons, cities will continue to suffer from Moscow’s missile attacks and Kiev will continue to face a stalemate on the front.
According to President Zelensky, strengthening air defense capacity is the number one priority today.
