Ukraine must protect its cities with air defenses in the war with Russia. But: According to leaked US documents, this has a significant problem.
Munich/Kiev/Donbass – is she coming? If so, when? Perhaps it will be like in late summer or autumn, when Kiev repeatedly hinted at an alleged offensive in the east of the country in order to finally reconquer large areas in the south around Cherson in the Ukraine war.
Ukraine war: Leaked US documents – apparently problems with air defense
This time, too, the south could be the thrust of the Ukrainian army in order to advance from Cherson via Melitopol and Berdyansk to the symbolically significant Mariupol. This would also put Crimea within artillery range. At the moment, all of this is just speculation, with no precise indications as to where the Ukrainian army is gathering for the expected spring offensive, which is said to make Moscow consider a temporary ceasefire.
However, leaked US documents on the Ukraine war became known, the dissemination of which apparently forced Kiev to reconsider military plans. But that’s not all: The same papers are said to show that the Ukrainian air defense is in pretty bad shape. That’s what they’re reporting now New York Times and the British Guardians consistent.
In the video: Compact – The most important news about the Russia-Ukraine war
Specifically: The Ukrainian air defense threatens to run out of rockets and ammunition within a few weeks. The reports not only generalize, but also give individual examples for this thesis.
Leaked US documents: Ukraine is running out of ammunition for air defense
For example, one of the documents marked “secret”, dated February 23, states that the Ukrainian S-300 air defense systems could be exhausted by May 2. Loud New York Times Ukrainian Buk air defense systems from former Soviet stocks could also run into significant ammunition bottlenecks by mid-April. And by May 23, anti-aircraft defenses protecting frontline troops could be virtually non-existent.
US officials are working flat out to determine whether the alleged Pentagon papers are real. Reports of ammunition shortages are not new, however. A document from the Estonian Ministry of Defense, from which ZDF quoted, provided alarming insights around mid-March.
Because: According to the paper, Russia was firing 20,000 to 60,000 artillery shells a day at that time. The Ukraine was therefore at 2,000 to 7,000 shells a day at a tenth. At the same time, the European armaments industry was producing just 20,000 to 25,000 artillery shells a month, according to the ZDF report, which is still YouTube is available.
Apparently, there are problems not only with air defense from the ground. The Ukrainian Air Force is also struggling with airspace surveillance. Slovakia recently handed over 13 MiG-29 fighter jets. How The Business Insider and TheTelegraph report, should Russian technicians sabotaged them on the way to Ukraine have. Does all this create new opportunities for the Russian armed forces?
Ukrainian air defense: Strack-Zimmermann calls for more ammunition
The British military intelligence service assumes at least that the Russian airborne troops played a greater role in the Ukraine war. Airborne troops, such as the 331st Regiment from Kostroma, which suffered serious losses in the first months of the war, have now been equipped with the TOS-1A rocket launcher system, the Ministry of Defense from London reported in its daily bulletin on Tuesday (April 11).
TOS-1A rocket launcher system
The TOS-1 is an armored multiple rocket launcher that fires rockets with thermobaric warheads (air bombs). Mounted on a self-propelled tracked vehicle, the TOS-1 has a range of up to 550 kilometers and can carry 24 to 30 missiles at a time. The vehicle, which is nearly 10 meters long, is a regular sight at Russian military parades.
Airborne troops, as the name suggests, are usually landed from air. This, too, would suggest that Ukraine’s air defenses are not in good shape.
It wasn’t until the end of March that Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann (FDP), Chairwoman of the Defense Committee in the Bundestag, spoke to Merkur.de demanded that Ukraine be equipped with more ammunition more quickly. The defense politician explicitly named the Iris-T missile system and the Gepard anti-aircraft gun tank as examples. (pm)
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