Russia may face an air defense deficit

Russia has problems supplying components for air defense production. If Ukraine destroys a significant number of Russian systems, the enemy may experience a shortage and limit the use of aviation.

This was reported by RBC-Ukraine with reference to a report by the American Institute for the Study of War (ISW).

Before drawing a conclusion, analysts recalled some of the latest incidents on the battlefield. The point is that the Armed Forces of Ukraine hit seven Russian radars and air defense systems on the night of October 20-21, and also had achievements on other days.

For example, on November 2, a Russian Telegram user claiming to be an employee of an unspecified unit of the Russian special services said that the Ukrainian Armed Forces had struck a Russian S-300/400 air defense system with ATACMS missiles near occupied Mospino (southeast of Donetsk). He added that sources are still investigating the damage to the system. According to him, the Ukrainian military targeted the air defense systems with six ATACMS missiles, and the Russians managed to shoot down three of them.

Before that, on October 31, a Telegram user said that the Ukrainian Armed Forces had hit the Russian radar station “Podlit” near the occupied Cape Tarkhankut in Crimea on October 23 using a drone. Moreover, the Russians have not yet evacuated the damaged station for repair.

On the same day, October 31, a Ukrainian unit published footage that appears to show a successful Ukrainian strike on a Russian Buk missile system near the front line. The footage shows secondary detonations consistent with a successful strike on such a system.

On October 25, the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces reported that Ukrainian forces had hit a Russian Buk-M3 system and destroyed the radar system of another Buk-M2 system in occupied Luhansk on the night of October 24-25.

Official Ukrainian sources said that the Ukrainian Armed Forces also hit a Buk-M2 system in southern Ukraine on October 23, and a Buk-M3 system on the night of October 20-21 in an unspecified area of the front line.

Author - Dmitriy Levchenko, 04/11/2024