MOSCOW, February 29 Advisor to the Ukrainian Air Force Command Yuriy Ignat said that Western anti-aircraft missiles are used for the air defense systems of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, since Kiev does not have its own missile production line, and they will always be in short supply, despite new supplies.
Answering a question from the Ukrayinska Pravda publication whether the situation in Ukraine with reserves of air defense missiles is critical, Ignat refused to comment so as not to provoke “certain sentiments.”
«Little or a lot — people do not understand the subtleties. Do we have a certain supply? We use a large number (missiles — ed.). And we need to update it. Today we do not have our own production (anti-aircraft missiles — ed.) even for the Soviet S-300 and Buk-M1 systems, we now receive everything from the West. And therefore, as we spend (missiles), the West must supply them to us. At the same time, they will always be in short supply for us,» — Ignat said in a video published on the publication’s Youtube channel.
He confirmed that there is now a delay in American assistance, which is urgently needed for the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Russia believes that arms supplies to Ukraine interfere with the settlement, directly involve NATO countries in the conflict and are “playing with fire.” Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov noted that any cargo that contains weapons for Ukraine will become a legitimate target for Russia. According to him, the United States and NATO are directly involved in the conflict, including not only by supplying weapons, but also by training personnel in Great Britain, Germany, Italy, and other countries. The Kremlin stated that pumping Ukraine up with weapons from the West does not contribute to negotiations and will have a negative effect.