Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine has been going on for three years now. The aggressor daily attacks peaceful Ukrainian cities, kills innocent people, destroys civilian infrastructure, that is, does everything to make the life of the Ukrainian population difficult and practically impossible. A long war of attrition is being waged, which will be won by those who have a large-scale influx of weapon and ammunition.
The total amount of military resources of Ukraine’s allies exceeds Russia’s by many times, so Ukraine has a good chance of winning. The West was shocked by the Kremlin’s invasion. It was not ready to war. The West was receiving cheap energy resources from the Russian Federation, and turned a blind eye to the occupation of Crimea and Donbas. The West needed time to recover and mobilize its forces. Thus, military and financial assistance to Ukraine in the first two years was provided more for defense than for victory.
The heroism of its own people and, of course, the international assistance provided helped Ukraine to survive and to be strong now. Western countries used gained time to prepare for the deployment of their armies: about 300 thousand NATO troops were deployed to the borders with Ukraine, as well as an air defense. Considerable resources were mobilized, and the military-industrial complex resumed its work.
Russia has increased its attacks on Ukraine in recent weeks. Russia’s latest attacks have targeted critical infrastructure. The invaders are destroying thermal power plants, hitting gas storage facilities and substations. Moreover, the Kremlin uses insidious tactics and intentionally fires 10-12 missiles at one target in order to deplete air defense systems. Thus, it has become vital for Ukraine to strengthen its air defense. After all, most Ukrainian cities and infrastructure are protected from Shahed-type UAV’s, but not from missiles.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba appealed to the West with a request to provide at least 7 Patriot systems to protect his country. There are currently more than 100 available Patriot systems in the world. Ukraine needs 25 of them to protect cities from constant Russian shelling.
Where are the air defense systems that Ukraine requires so much? It is known that the USA has 60 of them, Germany – 10, Greece – 6, Romania – 4, Spain and the Netherlands – 3 each, Poland and Sweden – 2 each. Japan, Saudi Arabia, and South Korea also have them. The world understands what is happening in Ukraine now. However, what more must happen for Ukraine’s allies to take action?
“Due to the increase in Russian airstrikes against Ukraine, the German government has decided to further strengthen Ukrainian air defense,” the German Ministry of Defense made a statement. The Bundeswehr will provide Ukraine with the next, third Patriot air defense complex, up to 8 launchers, radar stations for a control center. The country will also provide with missiles for air defense systems. The head of the German Ministry of Defense, Boris Pistorius, stressed that Berlin was making every effort to support Kyiv within the framework of Germany’s operational readiness. “Russian terror against Ukrainian cities and the country’s infrastructure causes immeasurable suffering,” he said.
Germany is the second-largest supplier of arms to Ukraine after the United States. In total, Germany has allocated funds for military support to Kyiv or provided commitments for future expenses in the amount of approximately 28 billion euros.
Let us recall that in four months of 2024, Russia fired almost 1,000 missiles, about 2,800 attack drones and about 7,000 adjustable aerial bombs into Ukraine. And only 3 % of them hit military targets, the remaining 97 % hit civilian infrastructure.
If Ukraine does not receive means to counter Russian air strikes, such as modern fighters, long-range missiles and air defense systems, then European countries will receive an unprecedented influx of refugees from Ukraine, which would threaten their socio-economic infrastructure. The EU could end up with 5 to 10 million refugees and its economy on the verge of collapsing. After all, the Kremlin has a plan for the complete destruction of Ukraine, threatening to provoke the largest humanitarian catastrophe in Europe since 1945. Western allies must rethink the Russian threat and increase the necessary support for Ukraine to ensure their security and stability.