Ukraine Wipes Out Three Russian Air Defense Systems In Three Days

https://www.thelowdownblog.com/2025/01/ukraine-wipes-out-three-russian-air.html

by jonfla

3 comments

  2. Every bit counts. This is the kind of equipment that can’t be easily replaced, especially the radar systems.

  3. This article makes some very good points.

    Very early in the war, Russia still had a fleet in the Black Sea, while Ukraine really didn’t. They also had very large advantages in terms of aircraft and armor. Then, with the help of a few missiles, drones killed off most of the Black Sea fleet, and drove the remainder into retreating out of the area. Next the missiles and drones began targeting airfields, necessarily including the air defense systems nearby. After serious losses, Russia responded by withdrawing a lot of aircraft away from the front. Now we are hearing that Russian tanks are only supporting troops from a distance, because if they get too close, drones will wipe them out. Instead, they send BMPs and the like into battle on their own, where Ukrainian tanks have little trouble blowing them up. Russia was pretty successful for a while using EW against drones, but none of their other air defenses are very well suited for the job, they’re designed to kill full sized jets, and they’re running low on them.

    All of this has added up. Sea advantage is gone, armor advantage is neutralized, and Russia’s air force can do little more than launch long range missiles from a distance. That’s not to say that Ukraine isn’t still in a very tough position, it is, but the lack of meaningful Russian advances, and the cost of them, show that Russia’s momentum is dead. That’s a very big deal, and destroying their air defenses has played a pivotal role.

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