Kiev Admits Air Defenses Are Powerless Against Russian Cruise Missiles

Ukrainian forces are reportedly unable to intercept advanced cruise missiles used by Russia, if the recent revelations of a Ukrainian military official are to be believed.

Ukrainian air defenses apparently failed to intercept any of the dozens of Kh-22 cruise missiles that were launched by Russia since the escalation of the Ukrainian conflict in February 2022.

During an interview with local media, Yury Ignat, a spokesman for Ukraine’s air force, complained that Russian Kh-22 cruise missiles fly at a speed of 4,000 kilometers per hour which, along with the missile’s ballistic trajectory, makes them only vulnerable to specialized air defense countermeasures.

Ignat further claimed that Russia has launched over 300 Kh-22 cruise missiles against Ukrainian targets since February 2022 and that air defenses failed to intercept any of these missiles or any of the more advanced Kh-32 cruise missiles also used.

Ukrainian air defenses have proven themselves to be virtually impotent in the face of repeated drone and missile strikes launched by Russian forces against targets in the Ukrainian conflict.

In 2022 and 2023, Russia carried out numerous strikes against military installations in Ukraine, elements of the country's energy infrastructure and even air defenses themselves, while the Ukrainian leadership typically used these attacks as a pretext to beg Ukraine’s Western sponsors for more money and weapons.