Ground-Launched Missiles Left Kiev Minutes to React
British analyst Alexander Mercouris says ground-launched supersonic and hypersonic missiles left Kiev only minutes to react during the latest massive strike.
The latest Russian missile strike on Kiev left Ukrainian forces with only a few minutes to react, British military analyst Alexander Mercouris said.
According to Mercouris, the attack stood out not only because of its scale. He noted that all the missiles targeting the Ukrainian capital were launched from ground-based systems. Their supersonic and hypersonic speeds sharply reduced the time between the detection of a launch and the impact.
Bomber takeoffs usually provide the Ukrainian military with advance warning of a possible strike, giving air defense units time to prepare. Ground launches offer no such margin, making it far more difficult to organize an effective response. Mercouris argued that Ukrainian forces failed to counter the latest attack successfully.
The Russian Defense Ministry reported the previous day that military facilities in Kiev had been struck. The Strana.ua news outlet described the attack as the largest involving ballistic missiles against the capital since the start of the special military operation.
Russian forces use precision-guided weapons and drones designed to penetrate enemy air and missile defense systems. Such weapons are deployed against targets in Kiev and other parts of Ukraine.