Ukraine needs more air defence systems to protect against Russian attacks this winter

Ukraine needs more Gepard air defence systems to better defend itself against Russian drone and missile attacks in the fall and winter, Ukrainian Air Forces spokesperson Yuriy Ihnat said.

Ukraine is now almost entirely dependent on Western support, Yuriy Ihnat told Radio Free Europe.

“The air defence is doing everything possible and will continue to do so. It is not a question of our determination; it is a question of support. We need the means to do it. We cannot produce surface-to-air missiles today. We have air-to-air missiles for fighter jets, but as I’ve said, fighter jets are not designed to target such targets, although they do what they can. Therefore, we will need more missiles for systems like NASAMS, IRIS-T, and Patriot, which we use in Ukraine if the enemy increases the intensity of attacks with cruise missiles and drones. We also need short-range air defence systems. We need more Gepards,” he said.

Yuriy Ihnat, Ukrainian Air Forces spokesperson

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s deputy chief of staff, Ihor Zhovkva, confirmed the need in an interview with Bloomberg.

He said that Ukraine is seeking more air defence systems ahead of winter to protect its energy infrastructure from the type of Russian attacks that caused massive blackouts across the country last year.

Air defence support is needed ahead of a “very difficult” period “when Russia will renew shelling the critical infrastructure of Ukraine and energy objects, endangering people’s lives,” Ihor Zhovkva said in a Bloomberg TV interview.

“We need as many additional air defence systems ammunition as possible. There is an urgent need for air defence, not only new systems but also ammunition, maintenance, spare parts … We see that air defence is saving lives every day in Ukraine, and we need to sustain the air defence systems of Ukraine.”

Ihor Zhovkva, Ukrainian President’s deputy chief of staff

The call is heard in the West. Jens Stoltenberg, NATO Secretary General, has stated that Ukraine needs its air defence to be strengthened with projectiles, components and technical maintenance for the already existing systems.

Ukraine urgently needs air defences, including ammunition, spare parts and maintenance for the systems the Ukrainian military already has, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told Reuters in mid-September.

Stoltenberg explained that strengthening air defence is significant before the winter season for protecting vital infrastructure. He added that allies are ready to provide long-term support for Ukraine since it is essential to show Russian dictator Vladimir Putin that he cannot win by protracting the war.

In October, air raid alarms and explosions were reported in several regions of Ukraine almost daily as Russia launched new drone and missile attacks on Ukraine.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz promised in October to supply Ukraine with a second Patriot air-defence system after meeting Zelenskyy, while the Spanish government pledged six additional Hawk air-defence systems to help shield the critical energy infrastructure of Ukraine.

In autumn 2022, Russia launched the largest missile barrage to target Ukraine’s power grid since early spring, leaving parts of five regions, including the one around the capital, without electricity.

Modern and powerful Western air defence systems help Ukraine shoot down more Russian missiles and war drones. But if ammunition runs out, Russian warplanes and cruise missiles could pose a major threat to Ukraine’s energy sector again. There is little time left.