It was a day of joy, albeit partial, for the Ukrainian government announcing the arrival of air defense systems, but the information lost some of its luster after military intelligence confirmed that Russia is about to receive ballistic missiles from Iran.
Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksi Reznikov announced the arrival of the NASAMS (from Norway and the US) and Aspide (made in Italy) surface-to-air defense systems, days after the IRIS-T system supplied by Germany. “NASAMS and Aspide air defense systems have arrived in Ukraine! These weapons will greatly strengthen the Ukrainian military and make our air safer,” the minister said on social media, thanking Norway, the US and Spain.
Pedro Sánchez’s government sent an Aspide system while the other two countries provided the first two of eight NASAMS.
Despite these reinforcements, Russia remains able to successfully attack civilian targets and infrastructure, given the size of the country and the range of each of these systems. Russia’s armed forces ran out of missile reserves and bought Iranian drones — after several denials, Tehran confirmed the transaction on Saturday — that have been used in recent weeks to hit up to 40% of the country’s energy infrastructure.
Ukrainian defenses improved the interception rate during the attacks and in the last one to hit Kiev, 80% of drones and missiles were rendered useless. But those who meet the targets are enough to cause power cuts and consequent restrictions on energy consumption across Ukraine, prompting calls from authorities to save energy and warnings that the coming months could be very complicated, especially in Kiev.
The deputy director of Ukrainian military secrets said Iran’s missiles will go by air to Crimea and by sea to the Caspian Sea.
Now the danger is different. Ukrainian military intelligence says Moscow is preparing to receive Iran’s Fateh-110 and Zolfaghar ballistic missiles. “We know that preparations have already been made,” he told The economist Vadym Skibitskiy, number two in military secrecy. He even indicated that Iranian missiles will go by air to Crimea and by sea to Russian ports in the Caspian Sea. Skibitskiy also stated that, in light of this type of missile, air defense is ineffective. To the British magazine, Skibitskiy gave the example of the Iskander missiles: in October, the Russians launched 25 against Ukraine, and only three were intercepted.
In Kiev, there are expectations for the new Israeli government. Benjamin Netanyahu maintained good relations with Vladimir Putin, but Tehran’s entry into the war as an arms supplier could lead to a repositioning of Tel Aviv.
On the diplomatic front, the approach of the US midterm elections has raised some questions about the continuity of Washington’s support should Republicans gain a majority in both houses of Congress. White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said US support for Ukraine will remain “steadfast and unwavering” whoever wins.
Source: DN
