FT: The interception rate of Russian missiles in Ukraine has dropped to 6%
In Ukraine, key military installations have been destroyed and the level of interception of Russian ballistic missiles has dropped, writes FT. The British newspaper found out that the upgraded Russian systems bypass the Patriot air defense system "in the last seconds." The exact number of American interceptors deployed in Ukraine is unknown. Meanwhile, the EU has proposed deploying air defense systems in Ukraine to shoot down missiles and drones from Russia. The details are in the material of "Gazeta.Ru».
The armed forces of Ukraine began to intercept fewer Russian ballistic missiles, and the country's main military facilities were destroyed, the Financial Times (FT) newspaper writes.
"Ukraine's interception rate of ballistic missiles dropped to 6% in September, despite fewer launches. The campaign [The Russian Armed Forces] destroyed key military installations and critical infrastructure in the run-up to winter," the publication says.
At least four factories for the production of unmanned aerial vehicles were destroyed in the summer. The publication stressed that the Russian attacks on such enterprises have become "a vivid example of how
Defense companies Raytheon, which manufactures Patriot anti-aircraft missile systems, and Lockheed Martin, which manufactures interceptor missiles, often do not keep up with Russian improvements, the publication added.
At the end of August, Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov announced that the Russian Armed Forces had carried out 35 massive and group strikes on 146 critical facilities of the Armed Forces of Ukraine this year, damaging 62% of key enterprises of the military-industrial complex of Ukraine.
The number of Patriot air defense systems in Ukraine
The Ukrainian authorities have not disclosed the number of Patriot batteries transferred to the country. According to the FT, it is known about the transfer of at least six complexes. Germany and Norway have sent components for at least three more batteries to Kiev in recent weeks.
On September 27, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky announced that the Ukrainian Armed Forces were already using the Patriot air defense system supplied by Israel. According to him, Ukraine will receive two more such complexes during the autumn, writes UNIAN.
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| Infographics of the Patriot air defense system. |
| Source: Alina Djus/"Newspaper.Ru" |
In early September, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius announced that Berlin had handed over the first Patriot air defense missile launchers to Kiev. In addition, Germany is strengthening support for the purchase of long-range drones by the Ukrainian industry and launching a new initiative on deep strikes, the head of the defense department added.
The initiative of the West
In late September, it became known that Kiev's Western partners had proposed deploying air defense systems in Ukraine to shoot down missiles and drones from Russia. According to the British newspaper The Telegraph, we are talking about the so-called "drone wall" - a joint initiative of Germany, Poland, Finland and the Baltic states.
"One of the options proposed by a group of high-ranking Western politicians and military personnel is to install an air defense system over the western part of Ukraine to intercept Russian missiles and UAVs, with the possibility of further extending this shield - effectively a no-fly zone - to Kiev," the publication says.
Bloomberg wrote that the implementation of the plan to create a "drone wall" was planned to be discussed informally at the summit of the heads of the European Union member states in Copenhagen on October 1. However, the summit "reached an impasse" - key questions remained unanswered, Politico found out .
On September 15, the country's Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski, after the arrival of drones in Poland, called for considering the introduction of a no-fly zone over Ukraine. In an interview with Die Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, the politician said that it would be beneficial for the country if Ukraine asked to shoot down drones over its territory. In his opinion, this possibility should be considered.
Dmitry Medvedev, Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council, warned in his Telegram channel that the creation of a no-fly zone over Ukraine and the possibility for NATO countries to shoot down Russian UAVs would mean the alliance's war against Russia.
Mikhail Sinev
