Possibility of mass strike on Ukraine by Russia: Expert's opinion
Illustrative photo: Are Russian forces preparing a mass strike on Ukraine? (Getty Images)
Russia has not abandoned its idea of destroying Ukraine's energy system. It will continue to work on it, states aviation expert Kostiantyn Kryvolap in a comment to the RBC-Ukraine YouTube channel.
"First. There is no doubt that the Russians have not abandoned their idea of destroying our energy system and will continue working on it. Indeed, Shaheds are flying to somehow exhaust our air defense system... They are hoping for a shortage of ammunition, but it seems that if we continue with our EW (electronic warfare) capabilities, we will be able to take them down (Shaheds – ed.) almost without firing a shot," the expert explained.
He also noted that the Russians are currently producing more Iskander-M missiles.
"Ballistic weapons. So, against ballistic weapons, we can't shoot them down very effectively because we lack the systems that our partners haven't supplied us with yet. I mean Patriot, SAMP/T, not everything has been delivered. Even the Dutch initiative to gather different parts of the Patriot system from various countries seems to be stalling," he added.
At the same time, the expert mentioned that a large combined strike is not expected soon.
"As for the Kh-101 missiles, which are loaded onto Tu-95MS bombers, the latest reports about their movements suggest they probably have around 9 planes, each carrying 2 missiles. They are trying not to fly with more than 2 missiles now because the planes are getting a bit old. So, I don't think there will be a large combined strike in the near future," Kryvolap concluded.
However, despite this forecast, the expert emphasized that attention should still be maintained, as the strike is likely to come, just probably later.
"Il-76s, which constantly fly from Chkalovsk to Engels carrying these missiles, also have some problems. Remember that there was a major fire at the administrative building of the Chkalovsk airfield. So, 9 planes, 18 missiles. I think that with this potential, they won't launch a powerful attack right now. There's time. It's still relatively warm compared to the conditions the Russians are expecting. So, the strike will likely come a little later. But I do not doubt that it will happen. We need to stay vigilant, understand what's going on, pay attention to air alerts, and act sensibly and calmly," he stated.
On October 17, a spokesperson for the Ukrainian Navy, Dmytro Pletenchuk, reported that Russian military forces have realized that the effectiveness of their missile carriers in the Black Sea has decreased.
As a result, they have devised a new method of deployment for these ships.
