The current situation with Russian attacks on Ukraine does not leave us indifferent. Every day, Ukrainian air defense forces heroically defend our cities from missile strikes, but a new challenge looms on the horizon — Iranian ballistic missiles. Will our air defense system be able to handle this new threat?
Patriot Systems Will Not Cope
Prominent aviation expert Konstantin Kryvolap expressed his thoughts on Iranian missiles and the prospects of intercepting these projectiles. According to him, it will be extremely difficult, and perhaps even impossible, for Ukrainian air defense forces to intercept these missiles, especially at long distances. This raises serious concerns, as Russia may rely on these missiles in its future attacks.
Kryvolap emphasized that even the Patriot systems, known for their effectiveness, may not be able to cope with Iranian missiles. This raises the question of how the Ukrainian defense will be able to respond to new threats. The expert points out that the missiles will need to be destroyed before launch, as they become almost invulnerable once in the air.
What to Do? Destroy on Land
One of the possible defense options, according to the expert, is to destroy these missiles during their transportation or storage. Kryvolap believes that Ukraine should focus on finding the places where these missiles are manufactured or stored and destroying them at the stage of preparation for use.
He also cited the recent attacks by Ukrainian drones on military facilities in the Moscow region. The targets of these strikes were military units where Iranian Fateh-360 missiles could be stored. Although the results of these attacks are currently unknown, it can be assumed that Ukraine has already begun to employ this strategy.
Iranian Missiles in Russia’s Arsenal
Iran recently transferred a significant number of missiles to Russia, including at least 200 ballistic missiles Arman and Ababil. This adds a new dangerous component to the war, as these missiles have a long range and destructive power.
In light of these events, the US has imposed new sanctions against Iran in response to the arms transfer to Russia. The sanctions target 10 individuals, 6 organizations, and 5 courts from Iran and Russia. This demonstrates a serious reaction from the international community to the deepening military cooperation between these two countries.
How to respond to the new threat?
Despite the complexity of the situation, Ukraine has already shown readiness to face new challenges. Our defense forces are working to counter not only aviation attacks but also the threat from Iranian missiles. Military experts believe that one solution could be the development of intelligence capabilities to detect missile storage and transportation locations. This would allow for preemptive strikes before the missiles are launched.
Is support sufficient?
It is important not to forget the key role of international support, including the supply of modern air defense systems from Western partners. Systems like Patriot, while not a complete solution to all threats, significantly enhance Ukraine’s defense capabilities. Western partners continue to provide us with cutting-edge technologies to improve the efficiency of sky defense.
However, despite all efforts, the question remains of how quickly Russia will start using Iranian missiles at full capacity, and whether Ukraine can find an answer to this threat. Warfare continues to evolve, and our country must be prepared for new challenges.
Defense comes first
Therefore, the situation with Iranian missiles is a serious challenge for the Ukrainian air defense system. Experts warn about difficulties in intercepting them, but Ukraine is not giving up and is seeking ways to neutralize the threat. Preventive strikes on missile storage sites could become one of the key tools in combating this danger.
Meanwhile, the international community continues to support Ukraine with sanctions and arms supplies, giving hope that we will be able to effectively counter Iranian missiles and keep our cities safe.
