The operation highlights a less visible front in Ukraine’s defense strategy, where destroying launch systems may matter as much as intercepting missiles.
Ukraine’s Defense Forces struck a Russian Iskander missile launcher located near Ukraine’s state border. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke about the outcome of the operation during a conversation with journalists.
Today, we have another success. We cannot provide many details due to the sensitivity of the operation, but the fact remains. We struck an Iskander launcher near our borders. I am grateful to our warriors who carried this out. This is our operation to hunt down their systems deployed nearby.
– Volodymyr Zelenskyy
Ukraine Steps Up Countermeasures Against Russian Ballistic Strikes
According to Volodymyr Zelenskyy, locating and striking Russian launch positions is a separate area of defense against ballistic missiles. This approach is used when supplies of anti-ballistic missiles are limited.
The operation involves identifying nearby locations from which Russian forces launch ballistic missiles and striking these targets. The president described this mechanism as a separate program and a distinct operation by the Defense Forces.
In other words, this is one of the ways we operate when our anti-ballistic missile stocks are limited. There is another, more complex tactic that we have developed: hunting down nearby locations from which ballistic missiles are launched. This is a separate matter, a separate program, a separate operation. And today, we succeeded in doing it. Our Defense Forces did an excellent job.
– Volodymyr Zelenskyy
Development of the Freya System
At the same time, Ukraine is working with European partners to develop the Freya system for countering ballistic missiles. Eurosam, Leonardo, Thales, Saab, and Fire Point are involved in the project. The system is also expected to use a HENSOLDT radar.
The strike on the Iskander launcher near the border was one example of active countermeasures against Russian ballistic strike capabilities.