The Russian military has the opportunity to freely strike in the Kharkiv region, using the inviolability of Russian airspace. This was made possible by the ban on Ukraine to use Western systems for attacks in the Russian Federation. About it reports the American Institute of War Study (ISW).
In recent weeks, Russian aircraft are increasingly attacked by Kharkiv and its surroundings, using glider bombs and various missiles. This is aimed at weakening Ukraine's defense capability and encouraging the city's residents to escape. Protected air defense in the Kharkiv area can help the Ukrainian forces restrain Russian aviation, but only on the condition that Western countries will enable Ukraine to use systems to intercept Russian aircraft in the Russian airspace. Otherwise, Russian planes can attack Kharkiv, even leaving the limits of Russia's airspace.
According to ISW, invaders can carry out exploration in the deep rear of Ukraine with the help of drones due to the lack of interceptors of the Ukrainian air defense system. It is noted that Ukraine had to save rockets of the Earth-Air class, which enabled Russian intelligence drones to penetrate the Ukrainian rear, in particular above Kharkov, and to optimize their intelligence complex.
"Reducing the supplies of air defense interceptors has forced Ukraine to be more and more frequently elected between the protection of critically important infrastructure in the rear areas or hostilities ... Previously well -equipped Ukrainian forces could limit Russian intelligence opportunities during a larger large -scale invasion," the statement said.
The ISW emphasizes that Ukraine requires the supply of air defense from its partners to destroy Russian reconnaissance drones, both in the rear and at the forefront, as well as for the suppression of the Russian intelligence complex, which facilitates Russia's tactical offensive at the front.
