Russia tries to exhaust Ukrainian air defense – military expert Riabykh

He said this on Espreso TV. 

“If we talk about the burden on Ukrainian air defense, there are exact figures from the Air Force of the Ukrainian Armed Forces: in May, the enemy fired 185 missiles at Ukraine, 154 of which were destroyed, and 381 drones, 342 of which were eliminated. That is, the destruction rate for drones is 90%, while the rate for missiles is slightly lower. If we combine these figures with the previous statistics of the Air Force, then from September 1 last year to the beginning of June 2023, it should be noted that about 1,050 missiles of various types and about 1,200 drones were fired at Ukraine,” the military expert said.

Valerii Riabykh noted that Ukraine's air defense system is under a very heavy pressure. For example, it can be calculated that two air defense missiles are usually launched to destroy one Russian missile.

“There are key components of our air defense effectiveness. The first is the skill of Ukrainian servicemen and the competent construction of air defense. The second is the constant support of our partners. Throughout this period, the main partner support programs have been aimed at strengthening our air defense. Even in the latest military aid packages, the main component is missiles for air defense systems. We can talk about our partners ensuring the resilience of Ukrainian air defense, which is constantly being tested by the enemy to break through. This is a game of attrition. The Russian Federation has no chance in a confrontation with 50 countries that are our partners and have the strongest economies in the world,” Riabykh summarized.

• On June 1, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that NATO would try to increase the capacity and success of Ukraine's air defense.

• On June 2, Ukrainian forces destroyed 15 Russian missiles and 21 Shahed drones at night.

• On June 4, during the Russian army's night attack on Kyiv, air defense destroyed missiles on the far outskirts.

• On June 5, the Kyiv City Military Administration announced the total number of Russian targets shot down by Ukrainian air defense over Kyiv in May.