Ukraine's air defense copes with slow drones but ballistic missiles remain the gap
Mobile fire groups and interceptor drones catch most of the slow drones attacking Ukraine, but ballistic missiles remain the weak spot. Ukraine's Defense Ministry says it needs better means to close that gap.
Ukraine's airspace now faces two distinct kinds of threat, and the country handles them unevenly. That is the conclusion of an Euromaidan Press analysis of the air defenses Ukraine has built up during Russia's war against it.
Slow drones
Against slow drones, Ukraine relies on mobile fire groups, which move around and engage targets, and on interceptor drones, which are designed to bring down other unmanned aircraft. According to the publication, these tools catch most such drones.
Ballistic missiles
Ballistic missiles, by contrast, remain a gap in the defense. Ukraine's Defense Ministry itself says it needs better means to close it.
The picture is therefore uneven: comparatively slow and simple targets are dealt with fairly effectively, while ballistic missiles are not. The source gives no figures on what share of drones is intercepted, nor does it name the specific systems the ministry wants to acquire, so those questions remain open.
