Ukraine eyes opportunity as Russia shifts air defences to Moscow
Ukraine may use the May 9 parade in Moscow to attack Russian military targets, claims expert Pavlo Narozhny, as cited by the Ukrainian agency Unian.
Ukraine might take advantage of the May 9 parade in Moscow to target Russian military assets. Expert Pavlo Narozhny points out that Russia is shifting its air defence systems to the capital, which weakens other strategic sites. A total of 280 air defence systems are being moved to Moscow. This transfer of weaponry to the Russian capital is happening at the expense of the defence of other areas.
Moving air defence systems
Russia plans to move 280 air defence units to Moscow, which may weaken the protection of other important military installations. Narozhny emphasizes that this gives Ukraine an opportunity to strike "exposed" targets such as arsenals or military bases.
- If they pull out 280 systems of various ranges, it means something will be exposed somewhere. This means that somewhere they will withdraw these systems from combat. And that means it will be a very opportune moment for us to target purely military sites, such as arsenals, military units, and airports - Narozhny explains.
In addition, the expert emphasizes that Ukraine has the technical capability to conduct attacks on military targets in Russia, even near Moscow. An example is the previous strike on a Russian arsenal located about 69 kilometres from the capital, demonstrating the effectiveness of Ukrainian drones.
Narozhny also notes that even the mentioned 280 air defence systems do not guarantee full protection of Moscow. - Moscow is a vast area, and such a number of systems may be insufficient - adds the expert. He also points out that Russia lacks equipment not only for the defence of Moscow but, above all, for the entire country. He calculates that to cover their entire territory, the Russians need more than 1,000 S-300 and S-400 units. - At best, they have 200 such systems - claims Narozhny.
Russian air defence systems
Experts do not specify which particular units the Russians are bringing into Moscow, but they likely include the popular S-300 and S-400 systems mentioned for front-line use. The S-400 system is characterized by the ability to simultaneously track up to 80 targets and direct 160 missile launches. It can attack objects within a radius of up to 400 kilometres and at altitudes of up to 31 kilometres. This system is effective against both aircraft and ballistic missiles.
Meanwhile, the S-300, despite being based on older technology, still plays an important role in air defence. It is capable of monitoring 100 targets simultaneously and can engage targets located at a maximum distance of 200 kilometres and at altitudes of up to 27 kilometres. The S-300 missiles reach speeds of up to 8,000 km/h.
