Ukraine needs 25 missile systems to protect energy grid — aviation expert

General Ihor Romanenko, founder of the Charitable Foundation Close the Sky of Ukraine, stated this on Espreso TV.

"To effectively counter enemy ballistic missiles like the Iskander, Kinzhal, and North Korean KN-23, we face a challenge: we have very few Patriot missile defense systems. The Russians are aware of this and actively scout which targets these systems protect. Recently, the Russians have also modified their missile systems, likely updating the software for both ballistic and cruise missiles. This has made their attacks more effective. In response, Ukrainian Armed Forces representatives have gathered data on these changes and shared it with the Americans. This information helps the Americans adjust and modernize the Patriot systems. While the U.S. has more advanced missile defense batteries, they haven't yet been supplied to Ukraine," he said.

Ihor Romanenko stressed that the main problem is the sheer number of systems. Although Germany recently provided two batteries, which is helpful, it's not enough.

"To effectively defend against these threats, Ukraine needs at least 25 anti-aircraft missile systems and their corresponding batteries. Additionally, there's the challenge of combating Shahed attack drones. We need to strengthen our air defense in this area. Ukraine is also developing and producing its own drone interceptors, but scaling up production and training enough operators is a significant hurdle. For example, if we produce a thousand interceptor drones, we need a thousand operators. While artificial intelligence could allow one operator to control multiple drones, that's a future solution. Our immediate need is for current protection and defense," Romanenko stressed.