Ukraine’s air force on Nov. 30 issued aerial threat warnings for the Vinnytsia, Dnipropetrovsk, Zhytomyr, Cherkasy, Kirovohrad, Mykolaiv, and Kyiv oblasts as Russia doubles down on aerial strikes aimed at crippling the country’s energy infrastructure.
Earlier on Nov. 25, Russia conducted a massive nighttime drone attack on Kyiv that Ukraine fears could be just the beginning of a winter campaign in what has evolved into a war of attrition.
As winter sets in, President Volodymyr Zelensky admitted during a visit to Washington earlier this fall that the season ahead “will be tough” as his nation holds off Russian forces while U.S. support from Congress faces continuing uncertainty.
Ukraine’s skies have been fortified by Gepard systems from Berlin and Avenger Short-Range Air Defense from Washington capable of intercepting UAVs and cruise missiles.
For more sophisticated threats, Kyiv is deploying MIM-23 Hawks, NASAMS, and Patriot PAC-3 systems from the U.S., and the Eurosam SAMP/T provided by France and Italy.
The country’s cutting edge air defenses are mostly concentrated in the capital city of Kyiv, leaving other major population centers and prized industrial assets vulnerable.
“The more protected the Ukrainian skies, Ukrainian cities, and villages are, the more opportunities our people will have for economic activity, for production, among other things, (for) defense industries, " Zelensky said.
Lance Luo
