Advisor to the head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, Mykhailo Podolyak, points out that over the past year, many things have changed, which means that not only Ukraine but also Russia has prepared for the upcoming winter.
Russia has been accumulating missiles for new strikes against Ukraine for a long time
Most Ukrainians have long noticed that the enemy has taken a pause in missile attacks as they try to accumulate as many missiles as possible for future massed attacks.
However, it’s important to understand that the Russians might change the tactics they used in the fall and winter of the previous year.
According to Mykhailo Podolyak, it’s also crucial not to ignore the fact that Russia can still manufacture precision missiles.
According to the data from the Main Intelligence Directorate, the aggressor country doesn’t have the reserves to launch 100 missiles at Ukraine at once, as was the case last year.
However, Russia will still acquire components for ‘Iskanders’ and ‘Kinzhals’ from Europe through intermediary firms.
“We’ll wait and see what tactics they will use this winter. Currently, we are seeing the use of a large number of drones which are overloading our air defense systems. But they will indeed have the capability to use missiles; they are accumulating them,” warned a representative of the Office of the President.
What to expect from Russia in the winter of 2023-24?
As Mykhailo Podolyak notes, the Kremlin didn’t anticipate that last year’s strikes on the energy sector would force Ukraine to make concessions or even surrender to Russia.
However, this plan failed, so Moscow, most likely, has come up with something new.
Yet, it should not be forgotten that Ukraine has also prepared for the winter and significantly strengthened its air defense.
“I think it will work more effectively than last year. Currently, they are using ballistics, modified S-300s, and guided aerial bombs. Let’s see if they add supersonic and guided missiles to this.”
The advisor to the head of the Office of the President does not dispute the fact that the Russians have enough ballistic missiles and guided aerial bombs to terrorize and kill Ukrainian civilians now.