How Ukraine can defend itself against Russian ballistic missiles — Chmut outlines options

The hypothetical absence of American Patriot air defense systems in Ukraine does not mean defeat in the war. Any “hardware” cannot guarantee either peace or protection. But when it comes to defending against Russian ballistic missiles, there are several real alternatives to Western weaponry.

This was stated by Taras Chmut, Director of the "Come Back Alive" Foundation for Competent Assistance to the Army, in an interview with LIGA.net.

“We did fight somehow without Western weapons, didn’t we? We fought without anything in February and March of 2022 — without F-16s, without Bradleys, without Leopards, and without everything else. But we still managed to fight, and quite decently at that. So maybe it’s not about the hardware, but about something else?” Chmut remarked.

In his opinion, there are several ways to counter Russian ballistic missiles:

• striking missile production facilities and arsenals in Russia;

• eliminating the personnel who operate these missiles;

• carrying out sabotage operations in Russia’s rear to disable military equipment and assets;

• seeking alternatives from other manufacturers.

“And we are doing that, and trying. We simply can’t destroy all Iskander production in Russia within a month. We can’t reach North Korea or destroy production in China. It’s a constant struggle between resources, challenges, capabilities, and time constraints,” Taras Chmut noted.