Ukraine calls for new air defense systems to protect against Putin's missiles
Ukraine is asking its Western allies for the latest generation of air defense systems to protect itself after a Russian hypersonic ballistic missile struck the city of Dnipro, Ukraine, with a new intermediate-range Orechnik missile. “The Ukrainian Defense Minister is already in discussions with our partners on new air defense systems – precisely the kind of systems that can protect lives in the face of new risks,” said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in a video message to his fellow citizens published Friday evening on social networks.
Ukraine is notably equipped with American Patriot systems – with which it claims to have already intercepted several Kinjal hypersonic missiles touted as “invincible” by the Kremlin – and their Franco-Italian equivalent Samp/T, but in too few numbers to protect all its cities.
But Russia once again claims to have, with the Orechnik missile, a device that is impossible to intercept and capable of reaching all countries in Europe. Russian President Vladimir Putin praised the “power” of this weapon on Friday during a meeting with military officials broadcast on television, and ordered “serial production to begin.”
