Why Russia’s ballistic missiles are increasingly getting through Ukrainian defenses
Summary
Russia has been using fast ballistic missiles that are hard for Ukraine to detect and stop in time. Ukraine relies mainly on the U.S.-supplied Patriot missile defense system to counter these attacks but does not have enough of these systems or interceptors to fully protect its cities.Key Facts
- Russia fires ballistic missiles that travel very fast and dive steeply toward targets in Ukraine.
- Ballistic missiles give Ukraine’s air defenses only minutes or seconds to react.
- The U.S.-made Patriot system is currently the only missile defense system Ukraine has that can intercept Russia’s ballistic missiles like the Iskander-M and S-400.
- Ukraine has too few Patriot batteries and interceptor missiles to defend all its cities effectively.
- Russia also uses air-launched Kinzhal missiles and other missile types like S-300, S-400, and the hypersonic Zircon.
- Ballistic missiles differ from cruise missiles because they are launched like rockets and move faster, making them harder to detect early.
- Recent attacks targeted civilian sites in Kyiv, killing at least 17 people and wounding many others.
- Other advanced missile defense systems used by the U.S. and allies, like THAAD, have not been supplied to Ukraine.
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