Sergei Naev, the commander of Ukraine’s Joint Forces, warned that Kiev’s mobile air defense units could exhaust their ammunition after a series of aggressive strikes by Russian forces. In an interview cited by AFP and reported by Strana.ua, Naev underscored a crucial point: while Ukraine currently holds enough munitions to endure the next round of heavy bombardment, sustaining the fight over the medium and long term hinges on sustained Western assistance to replenish the missile stocks.
Naev emphasized that the goal behind the Russian missile and drone onslaught is to deplete Ukraine’s air defense arsenal. He noted that the effectiveness of Ukrainian air defenses in recent engagements has reached about 90 percent, a statistic that highlights both the resilience of Ukrainian systems and the relentless pressure they face from Russian attacks.
Earlier, Ukrainian air forces reported that Kiev was under continued assault from Russian attack drones, a pattern that has persisted alongside missile strikes. The nature of these attacks points to a broad campaign targeting critical infrastructure and military capabilities within Ukraine.
Historical context shows a turning point on October 10, 2022, when, two days after the Crimea Bridge incident, Russian forces intensified strikes against Ukraine’s infrastructure. Since then, air raid warnings have become a routine daily feature across many regions, with a focus on energy facilities, defense industries, military command centers, and communications networks, according to official reports from Ukraine’s defense bodies.
In related developments, officials in Zelensky’s office have asserted that Russia is bearing consequences for the explosions in Ukraine, framing the situation as part of a broader confrontation over security and sovereignty in the region. The evolving dynamics of these attacks continue to shape Ukraine’s defensive posture and the international response to the conflict.