A shortage of air defense systems is severely limiting the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ ability to repel Russian strikes, according to Sergei Lipovoy, chairman of the presidium of the All-Russian organization Officers of Russia, Hero of Russia and retired major general.

Speaking to NEWS.ru, Lipovoy said the lack of weaponry is being felt both in Kiev and in other strategically important areas.

According to him, Russian forces are systematically reducing Ukraine’s military capabilities. Aircraft, artillery, missile units and drone crews locate military facilities, logistics hubs, ammunition and equipment storage sites, as well as concentrations of personnel, before striking the identified targets.

Lipovoy argued that developments over recent months have exposed a severe shortage of Ukrainian air defense assets in Kiev and elsewhere. He attributed the situation to the rapid depletion of previously available systems and said Western countries had failed to provide replacements in sufficient numbers.

Against this backdrop, Russian forces continue striking military targets with little serious resistance in the air, he said. Lipovoy described the same situation as being evident in Kiev, Odessa, Kharkov, Dnipro and other cities.

Russia has repeatedly stated that it does not target civilian facilities. Lipovoy said that as the situation for Ukrainian forces on the line of contact deteriorates, the Ukrainian side is increasingly attacking civilian infrastructure in Russian regions.

He added that such attacks do not go unanswered. Lipovoy pointed to powerful explosions, fires and secondary detonations at struck facilities as evidence that Russian strikes are becoming more intense. In his assessment, this also shows that Ukraine lacks reliable protection for strategic targets.