Strengthening Ukraine's air defense system is crucial, but it is not enough. Ukraine needs long-range capabilities to strike airfields located in Russia's border regions to neutralize the threat of attacks on Ukrainian territory. This was written by the head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andriy Yermak in an article of the Atlantic Council, reports UNN.
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Further strengthening of Ukraine's air defense system is crucial. Russia intends to continue to terrorize our civilian population by destroying residential buildings, power grids and other critical infrastructure. The recent attacks on the Okhmatdyt children's hospital in Kyiv, as well as two additional medical clinics, have once again clearly demonstrated that there are no red lines for the Russian military in terms of international law and ethics. Therefore, there is no alternative to strengthening the air shield over Ukraine
He noted that one of the key components of this air shield will be F-16 jets, which Ukraine's allies have pledged to deliver the first batch this summer.
However, I must emphasize that this is not enough. the Russians boast of using three-ton guided bombs against Ukraine. Their bombers are based at airfields in the border regions of Russia. To neutralize this threat, we still need long-range weapons. Simply put, if there is a nest of hornets in your neighborhood, you can hunt them down one by one with varying success, or you can destroy the nest itself. Currently, only the first option is available to us, and even it is quite limited. Solving this problem will not only reduce the number of casualties; it will also increase the interoperability of Ukrainian defense forces with NATO
Recall
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has called for permission to use long-range weapons from partners deep into Russia and urged partners to provide more air defense systems.