Why Russia’s ballistic missiles are breaking through in Ukraine
When Russia fires a ballistic missile at Ukraine, air-defence systems have only minutes – sometimes seconds – to detect and intercept the deadly threat. The lack of time has left Kyiv and other cities increasingly exposed to devastating attacks by the missiles that come down so fast and so steeply that Ukraine says only the US-made Patriot defence system can stop them. But Ukraine says it has too…
Russia's ballistic missiles are proving highly effective in Ukraine, breaching air defenses with their speed and steep descent. These missiles, unlike cruise missiles, are launched like rockets and dive towards targets at several times the speed of sound, leaving little time for interception. The lack of time has left Ukrainian cities increasingly vulnerable to devastating strikes.
Thomas Withington, an expert on electronic warfare, compared the physics to playing catch, emphasizing that a fast-moving object is harder to catch. Russia's main ground-launched ballistic missile is the Iskander-M, while the Kinzhal is an air-launched variant. The S-300 and S-400 air-defence missiles are also used against ground targets, with hypersonic cruise missile Zircon exhibiting similar interception challenges.
Ukraine's most capable air-defence system, the Patriot, is designed for high-speed missile defense. It uses a manoeuvrable interceptor to collide with incoming warheads, requiring swift tracking, path prediction, and launch within minutes. However, the United States and its allies have not provided Ukraine with other anti-ballistic systems like THAAD and Aegis defences.
Ukraine's shortage of interceptors is not the only issue, as the US-Israeli war with Iran has consumed many Patriot and THAAD interceptors. The US Patriot inventory has fallen by at least 65% from its pre-war level, and production cannot quickly close the gap. NATO's first Patriot missile production facility in Germany is expected to open in September.
Despite these challenges, Ukraine is pursuing alternative strategies, such as destroying Russian missile launchers and infrastructure before missiles can be fired. President Volodymyr Zelensky has asked for permission for Ukraine to use Starlink communications for targeting inside Russia, where the service is restricted by Elon Musk. Ukraine is also developing the Freya anti-ballistic system to reduce dependence on Patriots and is forming a coalition with nine European countries to jointly develop a mass-produced system.
Written by urgent.news from South China Morning Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
