Ukraine is better prepared against Russian attacks this winter - largely thanks to Patriot air defenses from the West.
But there is a sticking point.
Kiev - No electricity, no heating - that was the order of the day for Ukrainians in the icy cold in the winter of 2022/2023: Russia paralyzed around a third of the country's energy supply with a wave of attacks.
There is still war going on this winter, with Russia bombing Ukraine almost every day.
And yet the situation for the Ukrainian people is better this time, as Ukrainian Energy Minister German Galushchenko explained in an interview with the US magazine
Newsweek
: Thanks to Western arms deliveries, Ukraine will be able to protect its energy infrastructure much better this winter.
“The air defense system has become much stronger,” Galushchenko said.
“Last year we didn’t have many systems.
For example, we didn’t have Patriots.”
The Ukrainian minister explained that the Patriot air defense system played a significant role in his country's increased resistance to the war in Ukraine.
With the US-made Patriot systems, Ukraine can shoot down larger airborne targets, such as Russian aircraft, drones, missiles, cruise missiles - and also Russian hypersonic missiles.
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Launch of a Patriot anti-aircraft missile at an unknown location.
Ukraine is said to have five of the US air defense systems.
© IMAGO/ABACA
Ukraine received Patriots from the USA and Germany - with resounding effect
In the spring of 2023, the USA and Germany delivered the first of these state-of-the-art air defense systems to Ukraine.
A third system from Germany followed in December 2023.
Apparently Ukraine now has five Patriots, as the
Wall Street Journal
reported in December.
The exact number and, above all, the location are top secret.
But the effect is apparently striking: “This year – at least at this point in time – we have not had any dramatic effects of the shelling on the energy infrastructure,” Galuschchenko told
Newsweek
.
And he has hope that Ukraine will continue to be spared this winter: “It will be February in a few days,” he said.
The end of winter is in sight, so we are “confident”.
Patriot even destroys Putin's "invincible" missiles
According to the politician, there are of course major attacks and destruction near the front, but the Patriot systems are a blessing for strategic locations and large population centers such as the capital Kiev.
People in Ukraine are relieved that the missile defense systems are also capable of destroying Russian Kinschal hypersonic missiles - Russian President Vladimir Putin had previously praised them as "invincible".
The previous winter, things were different: Russia fired the Kinschal rockets at night on Ukraine's energy supply and caused devastating damage.
This Ukraine was apparently powerless in the face of this.
“At that point, we didn’t have a system that could shoot down the Kinschals,” said the Ukrainian energy minister.
At a recent event at the United States Institute of Peace, Ukrainian presidential advisor Andriy Yermak also insisted that the Patriot systems had exposed Putin's claims about his Kinshal missiles as "lies."
Yermak's speech can be seen on the institute's homepage.
Tanks, drones, air defense: weapons for Ukraine
Tanks, drones, air defense: weapons for Ukraine
Patriots for Ukraine: Missile supplies are the sticking point
However, whether Ukraine can continue to protect its population and infrastructure with the Patriot systems also depends on whether sufficient supplies of interceptor missiles continue to be available.
According to a report by Tagesschau
, the Institute for Strategic Studies (CSIS) estimates the cost of a missile battery
to be $690 million.
A single rocket costs several million.
And with Russia's ongoing attacks, the arsenal at Ukraine's disposal could quickly be depleted.
Solutions to this problem are already being sought: in December, according to the White House, Japan agreed to deliver Patriot anti-aircraft missiles to the USA.
These are likely to be used to replace the missiles supplied by the USA to Ukraine.
Washington could then send anti-aircraft missiles of its own manufacture to Ukraine, the
New York Times
reported .
According to the dpa news agency, NATO also announced a contract at the beginning of January to purchase up to 1,000 Patriot anti-aircraft missiles.
Patriot systems in the Ukraine war “critically important for the population”
Ukrainian Minister Gulashchenko emphasized in his interview how important it is for Ukraine to continue to have Patriot interceptor missiles: This is “crucial not only for the war, but also for the people and population of Ukraine.” he said.
Ukrainians are also worried about another issue: there are increasing reports that Russia is planning a new major offensive.
Meanwhile, a video from the Ukraine war went viral: a Ukrainian M-2 Bradley infantry fighting vehicle makes short work of a Russian T-90 tank.
(smu)
Category list image: © IMAGO/ABACA