KYIV, Ukraine – Even as Ukrainian officials celebrate the arrival of more advanced Western air defense systems and claim increasingly successful shots down Russian missiles and drones, they warn that Moscow is on the hunt for new long-range weapons against Kyiv’s forces with little defense – namely ballistic missiles from Iran.
A spokesman for the Ukrainian Air Force said the Kremlin plans to buy Fateh-110 and Zolfaghar ballistic missiles from Iran, which the Ukrainians say will almost certainly be used to continue. residential energy infrastructure goals it was battered by attacks in recent weeks.
“We have information that they have reached some agreement on deliveries,” spokeswoman Yurii Ihnat said at a news conference on Monday.
Iran has rejected plans to sell ballistic missiles to Russia. But Major General Kyrylo BudanovThe head of Ukraine’s defense intelligence agency, said the delivery of Iranian missiles could happen by the end of November.
“It’s a serious threat because Iranian missiles, unlike Russian missiles, have pretty high accuracy, very high speed, and those features have been proven in battle,” he said. in a recent interview with War Zone, an online publication focusing on military issues.
Ukrainian officials declined to disclose details of how many missiles Russia may be looking to acquire. However, Mr. Ihnat said Ukraine was in discussions with its Western allies on how to counter the threat.
“It’s theoretically possible to shoot them down, but it’s really hard to do with the capabilities we have today,” he noted.
One possibility, he said, would involve destroying ballistic missiles as they launch. But for that, Ukraine will likely need longer-range weapons of the kind that the United States and other allies have so far been reluctant to provide, out of fear that Ukraine could use them to attack military targets. inside Russia and could escalate the conflict.
The missiles Moscow is seeking to acquire from Iran are similar to the Iskander missiles Russia has used since the start of the invasion in February. Western military analysts and Ukrainian officials say Russia is turning to Iran because its stockpile of Iskanders has been severely depleted.
Russia has other weapons, including Kalibr cruise missiles and Iranian-made attack drones. Ukraine has gotten better at shooting them down, using portable air defense systems, attack jets, and a combination of Soviet-era air defenses and new arrivals. The West.
Modern German IRIS-T air defense system – so new that they have never been used on the battlefield – were extremely effective in shooting down missiles fired by Russia during an air strike in late October, according to the Ukrainian military. And Ukrainian officials on Monday announced the arrival of two of eight advanced surface-to-air missile systems, or NASAMS, promised by the Pentagon. Each is equipped with radar-guided missiles with a range of up to 30 miles.
However, these advanced systems are not designed to counter ballistic missiles – and are very expensive to use against relatively inexpensive drones.
Ukrainian officials say they believe Moscow will continue to try to overwhelm its defenses in large numbers, as it did on October 31, when Russia fired about 55 missiles aimed at infrastructure importance. Only 10 people are believed to have managed to break through the defenses, but they caused significant damage to power structures, forcing Ukraine to distribute electricity to prevent grid failures.
The Royal Institutes of the United Kingdom, a London-based think tank, wrote in a report This week, although airstrikes on Ukraine’s civilian infrastructure are “unlikely to change the fate of Russia’s battlefields”, they have “caused major problems and created huge demands”. new demand for Ukrainian air defense equipment.”
President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine said his country was “gradually moving towards our goal” of fully protecting its skies.
“As of today, we can say that the recent escalation of terrorism by Russian missiles and drones has only resulted in the world reacting – responding with new aid to Ukraine. ,” he said in his overnight address Monday.
Farnaz Fassihi contribution report.
