2024-01-14 14:14:28
The weakness of Kiev’s air defenses makes it confront fewer missiles fired by Moscow forces on Saturday
The Ukrainian forces failed because their air defenses were weaker than they were before, and they were able to shoot down a small number of missiles fired by Russia in their last salvos. For its part, Ukraine responded by launching missile attacks on Russian areas.
Dnipro, located in the southeast of the country, has been subjected to Russian bombing over the past few days (EPA)
Ukraine came under intense Russian missile attack in the early hours of Saturday morning, the Ukrainian Air Force said, adding that Moscow fired some of its hypersonic missiles. Air defenses shot down Russian missiles in at least 5 regions across Ukraine, according to local officials from those regions.
The Russian Defense Minister visits an arms factory near Moscow (EPA)
Ukraine announced that it shot down 8 out of 40 Russian missiles, in the latest attack launched by Moscow on the country, and 20 other missiles were thwarted, due to the successful deployment of electronic warfare in Ukraine.
However, no details were provided regarding whether any targets were struck, and officials provided much less information than usual regarding the attack.
The Ukrainian Air Force warned during the attack that Russia had fired Kinzhal missiles, which is perhaps the most difficult conventional Russian missile to shoot down, as it moves at speeds several times faster than the speed of sound.
The authorities said that more than 20 homes were damaged and a woman was injured in the Sumy area. Official sources reported that a missile fell in the courtyard of a residential building in Poltava, but did not explode.
An Air Force spokesman said last week that Ukraine is currently suffering from a shortage of air defense missiles.
It was not immediately clear whether this shortage or any other factor was the reason for the low rate of missiles shot down. The Air Force reported that most of the missiles used during the night were high-speed ballistic. This type of missile is much more difficult to shoot down.
Russian missiles landed in at least 5 regions across Ukraine, according to local officials from those regions. However, no details were provided regarding whether any targets were struck, and officials provided much less information than usual regarding the attack.
A Ukrainian soldier during military training near the city of Kiev (Archyde.com)
The official spokesman for the Ukrainian Air Force, Yuri Ignat, later explained in a television interview, saying regarding these projectiles: “They may have fallen in the fields, exploded in the air, or were hit by the electronic warfare means of our defense forces.”
The Russian army announced on Saturday that it had struck weapons factories in Ukraine overnight, stressing that it had hit “all” its targets in a series of strikes on facilities that produce ammunition and drones. “This morning, the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation carried out a series of strikes… on facilities belonging to the Ukrainian military-industrial complex,” the Russian Defense Ministry said in a daily briefing. She explained that the strikes targeted places that produce missiles, gunpowder, and drones. She added, “All the facilities designated for this purpose were bombed.” Russian artillery also targeted Ukrainian territory near the front line.
The local governor said that the city of Dnipro, located in the southeast of the country, was bombed, without providing details regarding its targets. Police in the northern Chernihiv region published a photo of a large crater created by a shot down missile. The bombing injured a civilian in Bereslav, on the banks of the Dnipro River, south of Kherson, on Friday evening.
The governor of the region, Oleksandr Prokudin, said on Saturday that “a 71-year-old woman was found under the rubble of an apartment building” and was being provided with medical assistance. The police wrote: “As a result of falling fragments of a missile fired by the enemy, private homes and non-residential buildings were damaged, and one building was demolished.” Philip Pronin, governor of the Poltava region, located in the center of the country, reported that an unexploded rocket fell in the backyard of a residential house in the region. Poland, which neighbors Ukraine, activated its air defense systems for a short period due to the high level of threats.
The Ukrainian President shakes hands with his Lithuanian counterpart and the US President and a number of European leaders appear during the “Ukraine-NATO Council” meeting in Vilnius last month (AFP)
New promises of Western aid slowed sharply and fell to their lowest level since the beginning of the war, according to calculations by the German Kiel Research Institute in early December. A €50 billion payment that was due to boost European support for Ukraine remains on hold, at least until the next EU summit in early February. As for the new package decided by the United States, it is stalled in Congress due to reservations from Republican parliamentarians.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that any delay in aid to his country would have a significant impact on the course of the war. He is requesting more air defense means, while Russia has recently intensified its strikes.
The commander of the Ukrainian army’s ground forces said on Friday that Kiev needs more military aircraft to support the war effort, such as American A-10 attack aircraft to support infantry, as well as aircraft that can launch long-range guided missiles. Colonel-General Oleksandr Sirsky spoke to Archyde.com in an exclusive interview at a secret location in the northeastern region of the city of Kharkiv, bordering western Russia.
The 58-year-old said: “I would like to talk regarding the A-10 aircraft as one of the options… This is not a new machine, but it is a reliable machine that has proven itself in many wars, and it has a wide range of weapons.” Sirsky’s call comes at a time when a new US package of military aid to Kiev has been halted pending Congressional approval.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky presents the Medal of Freedom to British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Friday in Kiev (EPA)
Since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Kiev has pressured its Western allies to provide it with advanced weapons and ammunition, including armored vehicles, tanks, long-range missiles, and fighter jets.
Ukraine launched a massive counterattack last summer, but it failed to achieve a major breakthrough for Russian forces stationed in the east and south of the country. Russian forces have now resumed the attack on some areas of the east.
The nearly 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) front line is at risk of stalemate, though, said Syrsky, who oversaw the defense of Kiev in early 2022 and Ukraine’s lightning counteroffensive in the Kharkiv region later that year. Future breakthroughs are still possible.
On the other hand, the new French Foreign Minister Stephane Ségornet arrived in Kiev on Saturday to confirm Paris’ support for Ukraine as the second anniversary of the outbreak of war between this country and Russia approaches next month. This visit comes at a crucial stage for Ukraine, while its European and American allies are discussing continued support in the face of Russian attacks.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba speaks with his French counterpart Stephane Ségournet during a visit to Ukraine (Archyde.com)
On the 10th of this month, the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on the “X” platform that Ségournet, who was appointed Thursday as Minister of Foreign Affairs, “arrived in Kiev on his first trip, in order to continue French diplomatic work and confirm France’s commitment to its allies and to the civilian population.”
Sigourney explained on the same platform, as quoted by Agence France-Presse, that “Ukraine has been standing on the front line for nearly two years to defend its sovereignty and ensure the security of Europe,” stressing that “French aid is long-term, and this is what I came to say to Kiev on my first trip.”
Sigournet, who took over the position from Catherine Colonna following the government reshuffle in France, will meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kiev.
Sigournet (38 years old), who has never worked in the field of diplomacy before, is close to French President Emmanuel Macron and heads the presidential Ennahda party.
Upon assuming office, on Friday, he pledged to continue supporting France, stressing that “helping Ukraine means ensuring the victory of democracy.”
The value of the military aid provided by France to Ukraine amounted to 3.2 billion euros, according to a parliamentary report published in November. The strong support provided by Western countries following the Russian invasion in early 2022 has fractured in recent weeks, due to political disagreements.
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