Colin Kall, the Pentagon’s top policy adviser, warned that Moscow hopes to exhaust Ukrainian air defenses that have so far prevented the Russian military from establishing dominance in the skies over Ukraine.
The launch of Russia’s number of missile strikes in Ukraine is designed in part to do so to deplete Kiev’s air defense supplies and finally achieve sovereignty in the sky above the country, he said today high-ranking Pentagon official.
Russia has been pounding cities across Ukraine for the past week with missile strikes, in one of the fiercest waves of missile attacks Moscow has launched since it invaded the country nearly nine months ago.
Ukraine says so the strikes have caused major damage to almost 50% of the Ukrainian energy system, causing a potential humanitarian disaster as winter approaches.
Colin Kall, the Pentagon’s top policy adviser, warned that Moscow also hopes to exhaust Ukrainian air defenses which has so far prevented the Russian military from establishing dominance in the skies over Ukraine.
“They’re really trying to knock down and wear out the Ukrainian anti-aircraft systems,” Kahl told reporters during a trip to the Middle East.
“We know what the Russian theory of victory is, and we’re committed to making sure that doesn’t work by making sure that the Ukrainians get what they need to keep their air defenses viable,” he said.
After Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, Western military experts widely expected that the Russian military would immediately try to destroy Ukraine’s air force and air defenses. It is a key element of modern military strategy, enabling better support for advancing ground forces.
Instead, Ukrainian troops with surface-to-air missiles and other anti-aircraft defenses managed to threaten Russian planes with the sky over Ukraine still being claimed to this day.
This critical, initial failure is a key element of the problems facing Russia in Ukraine as it continues its offensive at enormous cost in human lives and military hardware.
“I think one of the things that probably surprised the Russians the most is how resilient Ukrainian air defenses have been since the beginning of this conflict,” Kahl said.
“To a large extent, this is due to the ingenuity and intelligence of the Ukrainians themselves to keep their anti-aircraft systems viable. But also because the United States and other allies and partners have provided a tremendous amount of support,” he said.
Last week, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin focused on the supply of air defense equipment to Ukraine in an online meeting chaired by him from the Pentagon. Ukraine’s allies provide everything from Soviet-era systems to modern Western weapons.
For the United States, this includes new US NASAMS air defense systems which the Pentagon says have so far had a 100% success rate in Ukraine in intercepting Russian missiles.
“We are transitioning the Ukrainians to NATO standard equipment across the spectrum, including air defense systems like NASAM,” Kahl said.
The United States has supplied more than 1,400 Stinger anti-aircraft systems along with anti-aircraft and air surveillance radar systems to Ukraine.
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With a wealth of experience honed over 4+ years in journalism, I bring a seasoned voice to the world of news. Currently, I work as a freelance writer and editor, always seeking new opportunities to tell compelling stories in the field of world news.
