Russians have not been launching high-precision Soviet missiles lately, resorting to Kalibrs and missiles like Kh-55, Kh-101, which get shot down by Ukraine's air defence, Col Yuriy Ihnat, spokesman for the Air Force Command, said at a briefing, according to an LB.ua correspondent.
He noted that it is much more difficult to deal with Iskander, Tochka-U and Onyx flying at a speed of over 3,000 km per hour.
"The enemy is using primarily Soviet-made missiles. As stocks of high-tech missiles are already running out. We are talking about Kalibrs, Kh-101 and Iskanders - operational-tactical systems. This can be explained by the fact that the enemy is saving high-tech and expensive equipment and armaments to threaten the whole world with them, as they always do," he said.
That is why russia is more likely to use such types of missiles as Kh-22, Kh-59, Kh-31, which are not accurate, hence hitting civilian infrastructure.
"It is not easy to shoot down a cruise missile. Missiles flying at a typical speed of about 900 km per hour are most often to be shot down. These are Kalibr missiles, Kh-55s, Kh-101s. It is more realistic to shoot them down with our weapons... It is much more difficult to shoot down Iskanders and Tochka-U. The latter hits the target with a speed of more than 4,000 km per hour on a ballistic trajectory. But an Iskander flies at a speed of over 8,000 km per hour. Therefore, such a target is extremely difficult... So is the Onyx, which flies at a speed of over 3,000 km per hour," Ihnat added.
Still, Ukraine's air defence is becoming more effective by the day.
"The effectiveness of the Ukrainian air defence is increasing with the skill of our people, who are gaining remarkable experience, understanding and skills in using the weapons we have today. Our partners have handed over to us quite a few portable anti-aircraft missile systems of Western manufacture. In addition, we have been reinforced with effective Soviet S-300 systems from Slovakia," he said.
The equipment seized from the enemy is also used. In particular, there is a case of a Russian Pantsir-S-1, which is already being used by Ukraine and has already shot down an enemy air target.