Trump's reduction in Ukraine aids endangers civilians from Russian rockets
Trump's reduction in Ukraine aids endangers civilians from Russian rockets
Ukraine has only one way to protect itself against Russia's most powerful ballistic rockets-with the patriot air defense systems produced in the USA. Since the have now been subjected to the military deliveries Ukraine could soon go out.
military support in danger
Kiev and his allies strive to develop a plan after US President Donald Trump suspended arms to Ukraine on Monday, and that after a heated meeting in the Oval Office with the Ukrainian president Wolodymyr selenskyj in the last week.
The importance of the patriot systems
This step could have devastating consequences for Ukraine. Although a large part of the American military material that the Ukrainians use in battle, related to Germany, can be produced in Germany or replaced by alternatives, there are serious doubts as to whether the allies of Ukraine would ever be able to offer what the United States provided.
The biggest challenge for Ukraine is, however, the possible loss of the patriot air defense systems produced in the USA, which are currently indispensable. Ukrainian soldiers reported that their greatest immediate concern is not the effects of the cuts on the front, but the lack of patriot rockets that protect their families and relatives in the Ukrainian cities.
"The USA have the license for the patriot rocket systems and the production of rockets, which makes it very challenging for several European countries," said Kateryna Stepanenko, country analyst at the Institute for the Study of War, a US conflict observation institute.
risk of national security
The Patriots are considered the best that the United States provided in Ukraine and play a crucial role in the country's air defense. The risk of losing them has panicked Ukrainian officials.
"This is the only system that is able to deal with Russian ballistic rockets. The risk concerns the provision of patriots, both in terms of repairs, maintenance and ammunition to protect Ukraine from ballistic rockets," said Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Schmyhal on Tuesday.
"We can destroy all other means of the Russian Federation to terrorize Ukraine with what we have here in Ukraine or what we received from our partners," added Schmyhal.
Russia's attacks and the need for patriot systems
Russia regularly started ballistic and cruise rockets against Ukraine and hits cities, energy infrastructure and civil goals every week. Last summer, Russia started a cruise rocket to meet a hospital for children in Kiev.
Ballistic rockets follow a curved trajectory that leads them out of the earth's atmosphere before pluning back into the atmosphere and their goal. They move at extremely high speeds, which makes it very difficult to intercept them.
On the other hand,cruise rockets are unmanned vehicles that are driven by JET engines, similar to an airplane, and from ground, air or lake. They are difficult to recognize because they tend to be smaller and fly low; Some can also fly at high speeds.
At the same time, Moscow increased its stocks at a pace with which Ukraine cannot keep up. Russia produces more ammunition and also procures it by allies such as Iran and North Korea.
The urgency of patriotic support
It is unclear how many rockets the Ukraine has in their stocks and whether there are already other deliveries from the USA on the way. A Ukrainian official said CNN on Tuesday that Kiev could be exhausted on patriot rockets in a few weeks.
Ukrainian soldiers on the front also quickly referred to the Patriots as a crucial equipment that Ukraine cannot afford to lose. "Our weakness lies in the aircraft missiles-the Patriots," said Yegor Firsov, the main sergeant of a drone attack platoon. "Even we, the military, would protect our families, our hinterland, as well as possible while we serve on the front," he said.
effective defense at high costs
The Patriots have been in use for almost 40 years and are considered one of the best air defense systems. You can intercept cruise and hyperschallrakets, short-range ballistic rockets and planes. Their effectiveness makes the Patriots a main goal for Moscow - Russian military leadership has already targeted the systems.
In the past,Selenskyj said that Ukraine would need about 25 patriot systems to effectively defend their airspace. Ukraine currently has about half a dozen, although the exact numbers and locations are well -kept secrets.
Ukrainian officials have previously stated that the country received three systems from the USA, one from Germany, one from the Netherlands and one from Romania. However, more than a dozen of other countries also have patriot batteries, including Greece, Saudi Arabia, Poland and South Korea, have hesitated to send them to Ukraine, since they are exposed to threats themselves.
expensive alternatives and future challenges
Analysts say that the Ukrainian military was able to use the Patriots extremely effectively and intercept rockets that Moscow described as impossible to intercept, such as the Kinzhal rockets. But that comes at a high price. It is estimated that each system costs around $ 1.1 billion and the Patriots are the most expensive equipment that is sent to Ukraine by the allies.
The Center for Strategic and International Studies reported that the cost of a patriot rocket was around $ 4 million-an enormously high price.
There are some alternative systems, such as Nasams and Iris-T, which have proven to be effective against cruise rockets and drones, but they cannot achieve the patriots with regard to protection against advanced hypersal and ballistic missiles. A possible weapon that the Patriots could replace is the samp/t air defense system of the European manufacturer Eurosam. However, Ukraine should have many of these systems so that they are as effective as the patriots, and there are currently big delivery problems with the samp/t.
The role of international support
The solution to the delivery problems will be crucial if Europe intervene and wants to provide more help to Ukraine. While the Patriots are the key systems to protect Ukraine at short notice, the sheer size and width of the help that came from the United States that other problems will soon occur. The United States provided Ukraine artillery ammunition, armored vehicles, hookitzers and rocket systems such as Himars and ATACMs.
"The Patriots are the main articles, but there are also what we call the" invisible stocks "," explained Mark Gelsotti, a leading Russia analyst, to CNN. "If you think of the M1 Abrams tank and Bradley-armored combat vehicles that were very useful at the front when the Ukrainians have to go out, then have to Even, even if something relatively small breaks - and these things need a lot of maintenance and often break - from the line, ”he added.
According to the Kiel Institute, which monitors the help of Ukraine, the military deliveries that come from Europe are comparable to those from the USA. Selenskyj has explained that domestic production covers around 30 % of Ukraine's needs.
reports of CNNS Svitlana Vlasova, Victoria Butenko, Nick Paton Walsh and Lauren Kent.