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Russia’s massive combined strikes are forcing Ukraine’s military command to make extremely difficult decisions about the deployment of a limited number of Patriot systems. This is stated in a new analytical report by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
ISW experts have analysed the largest combined Russian attack on Ukraine since the beginning of the full-scale war, which took place on the night of 31 May to 1 June. According to the Ukrainian Air Force, Russia launched:
- 3 Iskander-M/KN-23 ballistic missiles from Kursk and Voronezh regions;
- 4 air- and ground-launched cruise missiles of the X-101 and Iskander-K types;
- 472 Shahed drones from six destinations in three regions of Russia.
According to official figures, 213 UAVs were neutralised, and another 172 were suppressed by electronic warfare systems. At the same time, none of the three ballistic missiles were intercepted.
“Ukrainian troops have difficulty intercepting ballistic missiles due to the limited number of Patriot systems and interceptors for them,” the ISW said.
Analysts emphasise that due to the increasing intensity of Russian ballistic missile attacks, the Ukrainian Armed Forces are forced to choose which areas of the country to cover with critical air defence assets.
