Ukraine running low on anti-ballistic missiles, Defense Minister unveils air defense boost plan
Photo: Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov (Vitalii Nosach, RBC-Ukraine)
Ukraine is discussing the creation of joint consortia with partners to accelerate the production of anti-ballistic missiles. Ukrainian defense companies can also produce such weapons independently, Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov says.
Read also: Most of Ukraine lacks defense against ballistic threats, Zelenskyy says
"We are critically short of PAK-3 missiles for air defense to protect ourselves from Russian ballistics. We talked with the president about creating joint consortia with partners to make anti-ballistic missiles faster," Fedorov says.
According to him, Ukraine has great potential to independently produce anti-ballistic complexes and missiles.
"We need a separate project for this — the math is complex and requires more time. But Ukraine must develop its own projects," the Minister adds.
Countering Russian ballistic missiles
Ukraine calls on European countries to combine their technological efforts to create new means of countering ballistic missiles.
According to Colonel Yurii Ihnat, head of communications for the Ukrainian Air Force Command, Russian mass attacks on Ukraine often combine several types of air threats at once. These include ballistic and cruise missiles, as well as strike drones. Even modern air defense systems are working at their limits under such conditions, he adds.
In addition, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that most of Ukraine's territory remains without air defense systems capable of intercepting ballistic missiles.
