"More critical targets than parade": aviation expert on May 9 air defense deployment to Moscow

He shared the information on Espreso TV.

“There were reports that 280 air defense systems are being deployed to Moscow for the May 9 parade. However, it should be understood that any air defense system has a certain efficiency coefficient. Of course, the more counter-systems are installed and the more interceptors are launched to destroy targets, the higher the probability of hitting aerial targets. However, no air defense system in the world guarantees 100% destruction of all targets, as we saw yesterday, May 4, during the attack on Israel, when one of the most powerful air defense systems failed to intercept enemy missiles,” commented the aviation expert.

He said another important point about the military parade in Moscow is that attacking certain targets during the event could put nearby civilians at risk. Ukraine adheres to international laws of war and is unlikely to attack the parade itself. However, the accumulation of military equipment in Moscow ahead of May 9 and the storage of this equipment after the parade, considering it is mostly combat equipment, makes its destruction an important target.

“We understand that the decision to carry out such strikes falls within the realm of military actions. Moreover, the military operates based on intelligence information to determine whether these targets are truly top priorities today or if there are other equally important targets. It should be noted that we will also be limited by the resources and means available to us. This includes the number of systems we can launch, their characteristics, such as range and effectiveness in hitting targets. We see that, periodically, Ukrainian strike systems destroy targets. Let me remind you, a Russian Su-30 aircraft was destroyed recently. And such targets are no less important than hitting armored vehicles on Moscow’s territory. Striking armored vehicles can be more challenging than hitting a critical link in the production chain of the enemy’s military-industrial facility,” noted Bohdan Dolintse.

• On May 4, military journalist Andriy Tsaplienko reported that 280 air defense systems were deployed to Moscow ahead of the May 9 military parade.