Russia’s wave of missile strikes on Ukraine is aimed at depleting Kiev’s air defense resources and ultimately establishing dominance over the country’s skies, a senior Pentagon official said on Saturday.
Russia bombed cities across Ukraine with missile strikes last week in one of the heaviest waves of air strikes since Moscow began its war against the country nearly nine months ago.
Ukraine says the attacks have paralyzed nearly half of the country’s electrical system, creating a potential humanitarian disaster as winter approaches.
The Pentagon’s chief policy adviser, Colin Kahl, warned that Moscow also hopes to deplete Ukraine’s air defenses, which have so far prevented the Russian military from establishing dominance over Ukrainian skies.
“They are really trying to defeat and consume Ukraine’s air defense systems,” Kahl told reporters during his Middle East tour.
“We know what Russia’s theory of victory is, and we are determined to make sure it doesn’t work out by ensuring that the Ukrainians get what they need to keep their air defenses afloat.”
After Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, Western military experts thought that the Russian army would try to destroy Ukraine’s air force and air defense immediately. This is an essential element of modern military strategy and provides better support for advancing ground forces.
Instead, Ukrainian troops with surface-to-air rockets and other air defenses managed to counter Russian aircraft, and Ukraine’s weather remains controversial to this day.
This critical early Russian failure was a central element of Moscow’s problems in Ukraine.
“One of the things that probably surprises the Russians most is the resilience of Ukraine’s air defense since the beginning of this conflict,” Kahl said.
“This is largely due to the Ukrainian ingenuity and intelligence in keeping their air defense systems operational. But at the same time, the United States and other allies and partners have provided tremendous support.”
Last week, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin focused on air defense supplies to Ukraine at an online meeting he hosted at the Pentagon. Ukraine’s allies provided everything from former Soviet-era systems to more modern Western systems.
For the US, this includes newly procured NASAMS air defense systems, which according to the Pentagon have so far had a 100% success rate in intercepting Russian missiles in Ukraine.
“We switched Ukrainians to standard NATO equipment across all sectors,” Kahl said.
The United States supplied Ukraine with artillery and air surveillance radars, along with more than 1,400 Stinger anti-aircraft systems.
source: Noticias
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.