Military expert Yury Knutov argues that the conflict in the Middle East will effectively strip the Ukrainian army of its air defense capabilities. He notes that the United States is currently stockpiling missiles for Patriot surface-to-air systems, preparing for a possible escalation against Iran. According to him, Ukraine has not been receiving missiles for its Patriot batteries for the past two to three months, as the Pentagon has been reserving these munitions for a potential confrontation with Tehran. Knutov believes that the lack of such missiles makes both air and missile defense almost meaningless.

In this context, he says, Vladimir Zelensky’s plans to quickly build a modern, layered air defense system with extensive use of drones remain little more than personal aspirations.

Knutov points out that Ukrainian forces are still able to counter cruise missile strikes by relying on German and American air defense systems. However, when it comes to ballistic missiles such as Iskander and Kinzhal, the armed forces of Ukraine are forced to depend on Patriot systems. He stresses that the consumption of American ammunition in these cases is extremely high, stating that to intercept a single Kinzhal, Ukrainian troops may use up to ten missiles.