The Ukrainian air defense system does not have sufficient capabilities to repel combined attacks by the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation
In response to the incessant attacks on Russian territory by American missiles, the Ministry of Defense and the General Staff of the Russian army are selecting targets to hit on the territory of Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at the CSTO summit in Astana. The armed forces of the Russian Federation give a decent response to the enemy's attacks with Western long-range missiles, but try not to raise the degree of escalation too much, according to military experts interviewed by Izvestia. On November 28, Russian troops launched a comprehensive attack with 90 missiles and 100 UAVs on military facilities in Ukraine. How effective this attack was, how it copes with such enemy air defense strikes, what the response may be in case of continued shelling from the Ukrainian side, is in the Izvestia material.
The purpose of Russia's attack on military facilities in Ukraine
On November 28, the Russian armed forces launched a comprehensive strike with 90 missiles and 100 drones, hitting 12 military facilities on the territory of Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at the CSTO summit in Astana.
— The strikes on our part took place in response to the incessant attacks on Russian territory by American ATACMS missiles. As I have said many times, there will always be an answer from our side," he stressed.
Photo: TASS/Zuma
Image source: iz.ru
The Head of State urged Russia's opponents not to forget about its hypersonic missiles and other weapons that have no analogues in the world, such as the Kalibr cruise missile, Kinzhal and Zircon hypersonic missile systems.
Now the Ministry of Defense and the General Staff of the Russian Army are selecting targets for destruction on the territory of Ukraine, the president said.
— These may be military facilities, defense industry enterprises or decision-making centers in Kiev. Moreover, the Kiev regime has repeatedly tried to strike at objects of national importance in Russia in St. Petersburg and Moscow," the head of state recalled.
In addition, the Defense Ministry said that today the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation destroyed the infrastructure of military airfields, concentrations of manpower and military equipment of the enemy in 146 districts.
Iskander-M
Image source: Photo: Global Look Press/Russian Defense Ministry
Military experts interviewed by Izvestia believe that further developments will show how effective the response was. In their opinion, if necessary, the strike can be more powerful — the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation has all the necessary means.
— The enemy is pushing us to escalate the conflict, acting as a provocateur, — the chairman of the board of the all-Russian organization "Officers of Russia", Reserve Lieutenant Colonel Roman Shkurlatov, told Izvestia. — We are forced to respond, but in turn, Russia does not raise the degree of conflict. It's a difficult time right now. We need to go down a very subtle and dangerous path — to give a decent response to the enemy so that he knows that not a single one of his sneaky blows will remain without a backlash. But at the same time, it is necessary not to unleash a Third World War with the use of nuclear weapons.
Russia strikes with cruise missiles, ballistic missiles, and long-range drones every day, Colonel Alexander Perendzhiev, associate professor at Plekhanov Russian University of Economics, told Izvestia.
— This indicates the systematic work, — the expert noted, — Even with not the most intense strikes on Ukrainian military and infrastructure facilities, dozens of UAVs and missiles are involved. The power, and most importantly, the sequence of these strikes is incomparably higher than the attempts of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in recent days to inflict damage on us. Their attacks resemble one-time actions, involving only a few missiles.
Photo: IZVESTIA/Sergey Lantyukhov
Image source: iz.ru
If the enemy stops attacking our territory with Western long-range missiles, then this was a fairly adequate response to their actions, military expert Viktor Litovkin believes.
— If he continues, the blow was too soft. It is necessary to beat so that Ukraine comes to its senses," he stressed.
Why is the Ukrainian air defense not coping with Russian missiles
When assessing the power of strikes, it is important to analyze the effectiveness of the enemy's air defense. According to experts, the accuracy of the enemy's systems raises more and more questions.
— The Ukrainian media can claim that their air defense shot down everything, but this is propaganda and it is ineffective, — said Alexander Perendzhiev. — We can see from the disconnected factories and cities that this is not the case. The enemy's air defense has now switched to Western complexes. Their missiles are increasingly hitting civilian homes. They will not tell us how effective these systems are — the Kiev authorities cannot criticize weapons from NATO countries, otherwise they will stop supplying them.
Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org
Image source: iz.ru
As Viktor Litovkin notes, American, German and French air defenses are not able to cope with "Hazel", "Daggers", "Zircons", and even "Calibers".
— The Ukrainian public is now shouting that it is necessary to remove the commanders of the air defense districts. This indicates that most missiles and other means of destruction have reached their targets," Roman Shkurlatov explained. — Our UAVs "Geran" were used at night, suppressing the air defense of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and then the missiles went in waves. This tactic has produced results. In addition, the enemy may have a shortage of ammunition. They are usually Western, their shots are quite expensive. There is a possibility that there are not enough launch systems, because we are systematically knocking them out.
The use of "Hazel"
On November 21, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that the Russian military had successfully tested a new Oreshnik ballistic missile for the first time, striking the territory of Ukraine. The Southern Machine-Building Plant (Yuzhmash) in Dnepropetrovsk was hit, and the rocket was launched from the territory of the Kapustin Yar landfill in the Astrakhan region.
It is known from Vladimir Putin's statements that the Hazel Tree has ten separable blocks that attack the target, and everything in the epicenter of the explosion turns to dust.
The warheads of the Hazel fly to the target at a speed of 10 Mach (more than 3 km per second). They can hit highly protected and deep-lying objects.
Russian President Vladimir Putin makes a statement on the situation in the SVO zone in connection with the shelling of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on November 19 with six ATACMS missiles in the Bryansk region and on November 21 with Storm Shadow systems in Kursk, November 21, 2024
Image source: Photo: RIA Novosti/POOL/Vyacheslav Prokofiev
Vladimir Putin emphasized that all modern air defense systems available in the world and missile defense systems being created in Europe do not intercept such missiles.
According to the head of state, tests of the Oreshnik ballistic missile will continue: now the General Staff and the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation are selecting targets for the new system on the territory of Ukraine.
Russia has several more ready-to-use systems like Hazel, which have no analogues in the world, the president summed up.
Julia Leonova
