Some ominous news out of Ukraine this week in the form of an air defence assessment from Ukrainian intelligence official, Major-General Vadym Skibitsky. Skibitsky reported that Russia is rejigging its defence industry to prioritise the production of ballistic missiles. This, he said, would mean a concerted campaign of strikes against Ukrainian energy infrastructure ahead of the coming winter.
Ukraine has already depleted its stocks of air defence systems. It was getting most of these systems from the US, initially directly in the form of military aid and more recently via its other allies which have been buying them from the US to supply Ukraine. But all reports indicate that the six-month US air campaign in Iran has left the US very short of Patriot and Thaad interceptors, which are most effective against Russia’s ballistic missiles.
