Russia tries to combine Soviet air defenses with new systems - Ukrainian intelligence
Photo: Andrii Yusov, representative of the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine (Getty Images)
Russian forces are looking for ways to protect oil refineries and military-industrial facilities from Ukrainian drones. They are attempting to combine old air defense systems with modern models into a single system, stated Andrii Yusov, a representative of the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine (HUR).
Yusov noted that Russia is trying to defend against Ukraine's long-range strikes. To achieve this, the enemy has begun attempting to create a unified air defense system, patching gaps with old Soviet-era air defense systems.
"This involves both Soviet complexes and modern ones. The enemy is trying to integrate them into a single system. This includes outdated S-300s, newer S-400s, and the so-called modern S-350 Vityaz system," Yusov explained.
Russia is deploying air defense systems near all major cities. It is also protecting industrial facilities, oil refineries, defense industry sites, and politically important targets. Despite this, Ukraine continues to deliver destructive strikes against Russia.
"The key indicator is how many Ukrainian drones reach their targets and inflict damage. According to various estimates, Russia's oil product processing has dropped by 18% to 20%. These are extremely significant figures," Yusov summarized.
Hybrid air defense systems in Ukraine
Since 2023, Ukraine has been strengthening its own air defense network, combining old Soviet systems with new Western weaponry. In October 2023, The New York Times reported that Ukraine and the US had jointly created hybrid air defense systems.
The program, named FrankenSAM, essentially modernizes Soviet Buk systems by using NATO-caliber surface-to-air missiles and advanced radar. These systems have proven highly effective in repelling Russian attacks — so much so that the US Army has shown interest in producing similar models.
Ukraine’s drone attacks
Ukraine continues to systematically target Russia's infrastructure. On the night of October 29, Ukraine's Defense Forces carried out a series of precise strikes on strategic sites within Russia’s military-industrial complex, hitting three enterprises.
Meanwhile, the Russian media reported that several regions of Russia had been attacked before the evening of October 28 and throughout the night of October 29. Among the targets were the Moscow region and Moscow itself.
