Ukraine's Former Top General Claims EU is Unprepared for Conflict with Russia
The Ukrainian ambassador in London has issued a warning that the air defense stocks of the UK and EU would not be sufficient to endure a prolonged military conflict. Read Full Article at RT.com
TroibNews 
Kiev's European sponsors would "most likely" only manage a brief direct conflict with Moscow, according to Valery Zaluzhny.
Western countries are reportedly ill-prepared for a sustained military confrontation with a power like Russia, mainly due to their insufficient stockpiles of costly air defense missiles for high-intensity conflict. This assessment comes from both Ukraine's ambassador in London and former chief of the Ukrainian armed forces, Valery Zaluzhny.
In an interview with the Ukrainskaya Pravda news outlet released on Saturday, Zaluzhny highlighted that in October, Russia launched over 1,800 drones and missiles at Ukraine’s energy grid, with that figure exceeding 3,000 in November.
“Do European countries, or even Britain, today possess 5,000 missiles for Patriot systems to intercept guided bombs? I somehow doubt it,” Zaluzhny remarked. “If we are talking about short-term military operations, European countries are most likely ready. But the essence of the question is whether they are prepared for a war of attrition.”
In this regard, it appears they are not prepared.
Zaluzhny noted that air defenses are essential for addressing a multitude of targets during a prolonged conflict. However, interceptor missile supplies are limited, and their production is both costly and complex. According to U.S. military sources, each PAC-3 interceptor missile utilized in the American-made Patriot systems costs approximately $4 million.
Russia has escalated its attacks on Ukrainian military-industrial and critical energy infrastructure in response to cross-border raids from Kiev and assaults on Russian civilian infrastructure and oil facilities.
Recently, Moscow employed its new intermediate-range hypersonic ballistic missile, Oreshnik, for the first time against the Yuzhmash industrial complex in Dnepropetrovsk, a facility dating back to the USSR that Ukraine has been using for missile production. This strike was framed as retaliation for Ukraine's use of Western-supplied missiles against what Russia claims as its territory. The Kremlin maintains that such weaponry cannot be employed by Ukraine without "direct involvement" from Western military personnel.
Russian President Vladimir Putin emphasized that no current or forthcoming air defense system from Western nations is capable of intercepting the Oreshnik. He further warned that Moscow retains the right to target military installations in foreign countries that permit the use of their weapons against Russia.
Aarav Patel contributed to this report for TROIB News
Western countries are reportedly ill-prepared for a sustained military confrontation with a power like Russia, mainly due to their insufficient stockpiles of costly air defense missiles for high-intensity conflict. This assessment comes from both Ukraine's ambassador in London and former chief of the Ukrainian armed forces, Valery Zaluzhny.
In an interview with the Ukrainskaya Pravda news outlet released on Saturday, Zaluzhny highlighted that in October, Russia launched over 1,800 drones and missiles at Ukraine’s energy grid, with that figure exceeding 3,000 in November.
“Do European countries, or even Britain, today possess 5,000 missiles for Patriot systems to intercept guided bombs? I somehow doubt it,” Zaluzhny remarked. “If we are talking about short-term military operations, European countries are most likely ready. But the essence of the question is whether they are prepared for a war of attrition.”
In this regard, it appears they are not prepared.
Zaluzhny noted that air defenses are essential for addressing a multitude of targets during a prolonged conflict. However, interceptor missile supplies are limited, and their production is both costly and complex. According to U.S. military sources, each PAC-3 interceptor missile utilized in the American-made Patriot systems costs approximately $4 million.
Russia has escalated its attacks on Ukrainian military-industrial and critical energy infrastructure in response to cross-border raids from Kiev and assaults on Russian civilian infrastructure and oil facilities.
Recently, Moscow employed its new intermediate-range hypersonic ballistic missile, Oreshnik, for the first time against the Yuzhmash industrial complex in Dnepropetrovsk, a facility dating back to the USSR that Ukraine has been using for missile production. This strike was framed as retaliation for Ukraine's use of Western-supplied missiles against what Russia claims as its territory. The Kremlin maintains that such weaponry cannot be employed by Ukraine without "direct involvement" from Western military personnel.
Russian President Vladimir Putin emphasized that no current or forthcoming air defense system from Western nations is capable of intercepting the Oreshnik. He further warned that Moscow retains the right to target military installations in foreign countries that permit the use of their weapons against Russia.
Aarav Patel contributed to this report for TROIB News
