Ukraine primes air defences for new Russian winter assault on power grid
Published: 03:09 PM,Sep 07,2023 | EDITED : 07:09 PM,Sep 07,2023
ZHYTOMYR: Ukrainian air defence crews are banking on newer and better weapons systems to help prevent their country being plunged into darkness again in a second winter of Russian missile and drone strikes.
Nearly half of Ukraine’s energy system was damaged by Russian attacks last winter, when Moscow pummelled power plants and transformers with cruise missiles and Shahed drones. At times, millions of people had no electricity.
The threat of attacks on the power grid remains acute following reports that Moscow has set up its own facilities to manufacture assault drones.
Vadym Skybytskyi, a Ukrainian intelligence official, said last week Moscow could start using more drones alongside missiles to confuse Ukraine’s air defences by presenting an array of targets.
Russian attacks on energy infrastructure could begin in late September or early October, he said.
But most of last winter’s damage has been repaired and Kyiv has bolstered its air defences, including with newly donated German-made Gepard systems — sleek green turrets mounted onto the chassis of a battle tank.
The military says one such system has shot down five drones since its first use a month ago — a 100 per cent success rate.
“We understand that the enemy has not quit his criminal intentions to hit critical infrastructure facilities and cause damage to Ukraine and its economy,” General Serhiy Naiev said, commander of the Joint Forces of the Armed Forces.
“We had fewer (systems) last winter. Now we have been given more, and the effectiveness will be better,” he said while visiting the region to hand out medals.
Ukraine appears to have prepared well for more strikes by drones, or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), but their gradually increasing numbers could pose a problem, said Samuel Bendett, Senior Adjunct Fellow at the Center for a New American Security.
“There will be more of these UAVs in the air, but probably not much more than flying now, since Russia is still a long way from its intended goal to manufacture thousands of these drones,” Bendett said of the coming months.
Ukraine’s president said last month Russia had launched nearly 2,000 drones during the war.
The drones are estimated by military analysts to cost about $20,000 each, but the Western-supplied air defence missiles Kyiv used last winter cost many times more.
Ukraine does not have enough to cover all its territory but Naiev said large-calibre machine guns such as the US-made M2 Browning helped fill the gaps.
— Reuters
Nearly half of Ukraine’s energy system was damaged by Russian attacks last winter, when Moscow pummelled power plants and transformers with cruise missiles and Shahed drones. At times, millions of people had no electricity.
The threat of attacks on the power grid remains acute following reports that Moscow has set up its own facilities to manufacture assault drones.
Vadym Skybytskyi, a Ukrainian intelligence official, said last week Moscow could start using more drones alongside missiles to confuse Ukraine’s air defences by presenting an array of targets.
Russian attacks on energy infrastructure could begin in late September or early October, he said.
But most of last winter’s damage has been repaired and Kyiv has bolstered its air defences, including with newly donated German-made Gepard systems — sleek green turrets mounted onto the chassis of a battle tank.
The military says one such system has shot down five drones since its first use a month ago — a 100 per cent success rate.
“We understand that the enemy has not quit his criminal intentions to hit critical infrastructure facilities and cause damage to Ukraine and its economy,” General Serhiy Naiev said, commander of the Joint Forces of the Armed Forces.
“We had fewer (systems) last winter. Now we have been given more, and the effectiveness will be better,” he said while visiting the region to hand out medals.
Ukraine appears to have prepared well for more strikes by drones, or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), but their gradually increasing numbers could pose a problem, said Samuel Bendett, Senior Adjunct Fellow at the Center for a New American Security.
“There will be more of these UAVs in the air, but probably not much more than flying now, since Russia is still a long way from its intended goal to manufacture thousands of these drones,” Bendett said of the coming months.
Ukraine’s president said last month Russia had launched nearly 2,000 drones during the war.
The drones are estimated by military analysts to cost about $20,000 each, but the Western-supplied air defence missiles Kyiv used last winter cost many times more.
Ukraine does not have enough to cover all its territory but Naiev said large-calibre machine guns such as the US-made M2 Browning helped fill the gaps.
— Reuters