Air Force’s Ihnat explains why there was no missile attack on Feb. 24
Why Russia did not attack Ukraine with missiles on February 24 (Photo:Command of the Air Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine)
Russia probably didn’t launch a massive missile attack on Ukraine on the anniversary of the full-scale invasion on Feb. 24, because it could not afford to expend the missiles, the spokesman of the Air Force Command, Yuriy Ihnat, said on Ukrainian national television on Feb. 28.
“The question is what they can afford to launch over Ukraine in this time period,” Ihnat said, when asked why there was no massive missile attack on Ukraine on Feb. 24.
He said that it was not entirely correct to call the recent changes observed in the way Russia uses missiles and drones a “change in tactics.”
“The change in the use of missiles and Shahed (drones) may be due to their availability and what they can afford at this time,” Ihnat said.
“This is their whole tactic and strategy. Let’s hope that it will fall less and less on our heads,” he added.
The day before, the Southern Operational Command warned there was a threat of missile strikes on the territory of Ukraine.
The last large-scale Russian air attack on Ukraine was late on Feb. 27, when Moscow sent a wave of Iranian-made Shahed suicide drones across north-west-central Ukraine. Ukraine shot down 11 of the 14 drones sent in the attack.
The last large-scale air attack involving missiles occurred on Feb. 16, when Russia fired 41 missiles of various types at targets in Ukraine. Ukraine shot down 16 of the missiles – slow moving cruise missiles – but said it was unable to intercept the faster moving Kh-22 anti-ship missiles fired by Russia.
Earlier in the day on Feb. 16, Russia launched spy balloons with radar reflectors towards Kyiv – likely to confuse air defenses and in order to establish their positions.
Russia has also been using missiles from its S-300 air defense system in ground attack, ballistic mode. There has been speculation that this is because Moscow now faces a shortage of more modern, high-precision weapons that are more suitable for attacking targets on the ground.
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