Ukrainian Air Force Spokesperson: Failed to Intercept Ballistic Missiles Last Night
On July 2, Ukrainian Air Force spokesperson Yuriy Ignat stated that Russian forces launched a large-scale salvo of ballistic missiles in a saturation attack during the early hours of the day, causing severe damage to Kyiv; Ukraine's ability to intercept enemy ballistic missiles urgently needs significant enhancement, with a total of 25 Russian ballistic missiles successfully hitting their targets overnight.
"The key feature of this attack was ballistic missiles. Unfortunately, we were unable to intercept all of these missiles as planned—final statistics show 25 ballistic missiles struck the ground. The main direction of the assault was Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, which is no longer experiencing such high-intensity attacks for the first time."
Ignat explained that the interception rate for cruise missiles was nearly 100%, with only two instances still under verification. The Kh-101 and Kalibr cruise missiles were primarily destroyed by Ukrainian F-16s and other fighter aircraft models.
"Ballistic missiles are currently indeed our weakness—a problem clearly understood by everyone, and the core challenge in national missile defense. Currently, there are only two viable approaches: passive defense relying on shelters and protective structures, or active defense using Patriot air defense systems, most critically their accompanying interceptor missiles. Both military leadership and diplomatic circles are actively urging to quickly fill the gap in interceptor missile stocks."
He admitted that it's not just Ukraine—due to the situation in the Middle East, Patriot air defense systems worldwide are currently in short supply.
Ignat described the consequences of Russia’s recent ballistic missile strikes on Kyiv as nothing short of catastrophic. The Russian arsenal included Iskander-M ballistic missiles, S-300 surface-to-air missiles launched along ballistic trajectories, and Zircon anti-ship missiles (flying in a ballistic trajectory). These types of targets can currently only be intercepted by Patriot systems.
Ignat rejected Russia’s claim that “damage to Kyiv resulted from Ukrainian air defense missiles crashing down.”
"This statement makes absolutely no sense. Western-made air defense interceptors are equipped with self-destruct mechanisms that trigger detonation if they deviate from course, and their warheads are very small—far too insignificant to cause such extensive destruction."
He believes Russia spreads such false narratives both to mislead its own population and to justify its own offensive actions.
During this attack, Russian forces also deployed a large number of jet-powered drones. The biggest threat posed by these systems lies in their speed—reaching speeds between 300 to 500 km/h. Although their warheads are relatively small, their penetration advantages are significant.
Ordinary anti-drone systems and mobile fire units struggle to effectively intercept them; only air defense missile systems and manned fighter jets can counter them, further depleting already scarce air defense munitions. Ignat noted that Russia is increasing the frequency of using such jet-powered drones.
According to Ukrainian sources, Russia launched a total of 74 missiles and 496 drones in this strike campaign; Ukrainian forces shot down 48 missiles and 476 drones. Ultimately, 25 ballistic missiles and 12 attack drones hit 33 locations.
This attack has confirmed 17 fatalities in Kyiv.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1869599615381504/
Disclaimer: This article represents the personal views of the author.