The hardest part of the winter is ahead, so Ukraine needs more support to fight against Russian strikes. This was stated by Andriy Yusov, a representative of the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine, Ukrinform reports.
"Russia retains certain capabilities to produce various types of weapons. This is a serious challenge for the Ukrainian security and defence forces and the pro-Ukrainian coalition. We need more support. The hardest part of the winter is ahead. This means that Ukraine needs to strengthen its air defence systems," Yusov emphasised.
He noted that Russia also retains a large number of old Soviet weapons, including armoured vehicles, but, according to him, not all of them can be quickly decommissioned, restored and modernised.
The representative of the DIU noted that Russia can and does restore the number of weapons, but not to the extent it would like. Today, the enemy's stockpile of missile weapons is much smaller than last year and at the beginning of the full-scale invasion, but it is there.
Yusov also informed that the threat to Ukrainian civilian and energy infrastructure remains, including the enemy's use of combined strikes - when both missile strikes and drones are used simultaneously.
Why Russia intensifies its strikes against Ukraine in winter
- Last year, Russia constantly attacked Ukraine's energy facilities. This led to blackouts. The Kremlin has constantly threatened to do so in the future in order to leave Ukrainians without heat and light.
- This year, for the first time in six months, the Russians attacked Ukraine's energy infrastructure in September, leading to partial blackouts in five Regions.
- According to intelligence reports, the enemy is amassing missiles to launch attacks and using drones to overload air defences. For example, in November, it became known that the Russians had already accumulated more than 800 missiles for energy terror in Ukraine. According to the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine, the occupiers produce about 100 missiles a month.