The Russian army continues to upgrade its military equipment, creating increased challenges for Ukraine’s air defense systems.
This was stated by Colonel Yuriy Ihnat, head of the communications department of the Air Force Command, on Ukrainian television, Ukrinform reports.
According to Ihnat, Russian Shahed-type attack drones have undergone several modifications since their initial deployment.
“The enemy is also improving its ballistic missiles. When we received Patriot systems, we achieved significant success in intercepting Kinzhals and Iskanders. However, it has now become more challenging due to ongoing modernization of their ballistic missiles,” Ihnat explained.
He emphasized that Ukraine is actively sharing this information with its Western partners to prompt them to adjust and modernize their weaponry as well.
“The Patriot system performs well against ballistic threats. Enhancing the capability of NASAMS and IRIS-T to effectively counter ballistic missiles would be a significant advantage… The enemy has increased the proportion of ballistic missile use since the beginning of 2024,” Ihnat added.
The spokesperson noted that the last major airstrike by Russian forces on Ukraine took place a month ago.
“Today, air defense forces operated well… Unfortunately, out of six ballistic missiles, only one was intercepted, while the remaining five struck targets in the Kyiv region,” he said.
Ihnat also noted that 12 Kalibr and Kh-101 cruise missiles were intercepted and neutralized by electronic warfare systems. “These missiles failed to reach their intended targets or cause the damage they were capable of,” he said.
As previously reported, during the night of April 6, the Defense Forces of Ukraine successfully downed 13 Russian missiles and 40 drones, while another 53 enemy UAVs disappeared from radar.
A separate missile strike in Kyiv claimed the life of one person, leaving three others injured, two of whom required hospitalization.
Source: Russia's modernized ballistic missiles now harder to intercept – Ihnat
