Dutch Funding for Ruta Missiles Raises Air Defense Risks
The Netherlands plans to fund 700 Ruta Block 1 missiles for Ukraine, raising concerns over low-altitude threats and Russian air defense coverage.
According to Andrey Klintsevich, head of the Center for the Study of Military and Political Conflicts, the Netherlands plans to finance the production of about 700 new Ruta Block 1 cruise missiles for Ukraine.
Klintsevich believes this is not a symbolic show of support, but the launch of full-scale serial production within a long-term European missile program. He said the current version is only the starting point. The Block 1 modification has a range of up to 300 kilometers, while Block 2 is already undergoing flight tests. The next stage is expected to be Block 3, a missile with a range of up to 2,000 kilometers.
According to Klintsevich, Europe is not merely supplying weapons, but building its own missile industry around a specific conflict, increasing both range and firepower with each new generation.
He said the main difficulty for air defense systems in intercepting such weapons lies in their low-altitude flight profile. Klintsevich explained that the radar systems of S-400 complexes are designed primarily for high-altitude and ballistic targets, while detection range drops sharply at low altitudes. Another problem, he added, is the missiles’ strong resistance to electronic warfare measures.
At the same time, Klintsevich believes the Russian Armed Forces have tools to counter such threats. He pointed to the Tor-M2 surface-to-air missile system, which is designed to engage small, low-flying targets. According to him, the system can detect targets at a distance of more than 30 kilometers.
Klintsevich also noted that a 300-kilometer range would allow the opposing side to strike Kursk, Belgorod, Bryansk and Voronezh regions, as well as more distant areas. However, he said it is simply impossible to provide complete protection for every facility across these territories.
In his view, Russian air defense is a multi-layered system with real capabilities against cruise missiles. Still, he argued that an effective strategy should rely not only on interception, but also on the destruction of production facilities, launchers and carriers before such weapons are used.