War in Ukraine, “capacity collapse”. Here’s why Russia’s missiles hit the target –

The ability of the Ukrainian air defense forces to stop Russia’s missile attacks has collapsed in recent months compared to the beginning of the war, which in recent weeks have also intensified with the use of drones and ballistic launchers. This is what emerges from an analysis by the Wall Street Journal based on daily data released by the Ukrainian Air Force Command. According to the American business newspaper, in the last six months Ukraine has intercepted about 46% of Russian missiles, compared to 73% in the previous six months. In April the missile interception rate fell further to 30%, while that of Shahed ‘kamikaze’ drones, which are easier to shoot down, fell by just one percentage point – to 82% – in the last six months.

The worsening of Ukrainian defense capabilities, as Secretary of State Antony Blinken recently confirmed to CBS, is being affected by the months-long delay in which Congress gave its green light to military aid. According to a European military intelligence official, the next two months or so will be crucial for Kiev, which will still have to wait before receiving new air defense supplies from the West.

Meanwhile, Moscow seems to want to take advantage of Ukraine’s difficulties. According to data cited by the WSJ, in the last six months it has launched approximately 45% more drones and missiles compared to the previous six months and over 2,600 drones or almost double. Unmanned aircraft, as analysts point out, are partly used to test air defenses before sending missiles. Russian forces also launched 114 ballistic missiles and 46 Kinzhal and Zircon hypersonic launchers, compared to 33 and 27 respectively in the previous six months. Over the past six months, Ukraine has shot down only 10% of ballistic missiles launched by Russia and has not intercepted any of the S-300 and S-400 missiles so far this year. Patriots are the only reliable means of shooting down ballistic, S-300 and hypersonic missiles. But Kiev has few of them and President Volodymyr Zelensky has declared that the country needs at least seven more Patriot systems. Ukraine can also rely on other missile defense systems, including Nasam and Iris/T, but they are not considered as effective against ballistic or hypersonic missiles and anti-aircraft missiles repurposed for attack. The picture of an impending disaster.