How often can Russia launch missile strikes on Ukraine? Zhdanov issues chilling forecast
A military expert has weighed in on Russia’s capability to launch repeated massive missile strikes against Ukraine.
Oleh Zhdanov / © TSN
Theoretically, Russia can sustain regular massive missile strikes on Ukraine, hitting targets roughly once a week for several months. However, Moscow’s ability to execute these attacks is limited by issues with equipment, strategic aviation crews, and the physical condition of its pilots.
Military expert Oleh Zhdanov made these remarks in a comment to TSN.ua, analyzing Russia’s capacity to continue large-scale bombardments of Ukraine.
How often Russia can attack Ukraine
Based on Russia’s missile stocks and production, Zhdanov says Moscow can easily sustain these massive attacks. The expert suggested that the occupiers could repeat these strikes roughly once a week for several months.
«In terms of missile numbers, the Russian Federation can terrorize us like this every single week for several months,» he said.
Zhdanov also says that international sanctions have not yet become a critical obstacle to Russian weapons production. According to him, the Russian defense industry continues to roll out significant volumes of missiles.
«Our intelligence has stated that the Russian Federation produces up to 100 missiles of various types every month,» Zhdanov added.
What could prevent Russia from continuing its bombardments?
Zhdanov explains that at least three factors restrict Moscow’s ability to wage regular, large-scale air campaigns: trained crew shortages, the technical state of their aircraft, and pilot exhaustion.
According to Zhdanov, Russia is already struggling to train strategic aviation crews.
«They fly Tu-95s during the day specifically for crew training. If they’re training, it means they are short on crews and need to ready new ones. Training pilots for the Tu-160 is even more complex,» Zhdanov explained.
Pilot exhaustion is another major issue, as crews need time to recover after combat missions.
«A pilot needs to rest and recover mentally. The entire system of combat preparation is highly complex,» he added.
Why Russia is facing strategic aviation troubles
Zhdanov also pointed to the technical condition of Russian aircraft. According to him, a portion of Russia’s strategic aviation fleet is already operating under restrictions.
«The Tu-95s no longer carry 4 to 6 missiles per aircraft, even though their standard payload is up to 10. The engines just can’t handle it. As for the Tu-160, it’s a massive fuel guzzler — it literally burns through aviation fuel in the air,» the expert said.