Russia began to “reach” missiles from the S-300 and S-400 anti-aircraft missile systems even to Kyiv. And the shooting down of missiles to these complexes falling along a ballistic trajectory has long been a very important task of Ukrainian air defense. However, it is very difficult.

The fact is that the S-300 and S-400 complexes are primarily air defense complexes. They are designed to destroy missiles, and not to attack ground targets. However, the Russians can reconfigure them in order to strike the “ground”. And the main negative effect on the characteristics of such a complex is that the accuracy significantly deteriorates during reconfiguration.

They cannot be used as high-precision weapons at all, if the goal, for example, is not to illuminate and guide the missile near the object of destruction. Unless a corrector should work for this: a person or a UAV. However, the Russian Federation does not have an adjuster for the most part. That is, they use these missile complexes banally to carry out terrorist acts – shelling of our cities, destruction of civil infrastructure objects and killing of Ukrainian citizens.

Today, it is not known for sure which anti-aircraft missile complex of short, medium or long range can be the most effective against this weapon. Our anti-aircraft defense is powerless against these S-400 missiles. Unfortunately, for the most part, they can’t be knocked down.

Not a single Patriot installation shot down a missile before the S-400

Now there is a lot of talk about the fact that Patriot air defense systems should be effective against S-400 missiles. However, there is no evidence for this, because no Patriot installation shot down missiles to the S-400 – there was no such experience. And in general, Western air defense models did not actually shoot down such missiles. That is, it will be interesting to analyze how effective the Patriot air defense system will be against S-400 missiles. And maybe SAMP-T complexes will work more effectively against such threats?

Of course, if we have more Patriot and SAMP-T air defense systems, this will only increase the effectiveness of our air defense as a whole. But highly specialized information about Russian missiles, which Ukraine produces with the S-400, is really not enough…

Yuriy Ignat, the representative of the Air Force of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, stated the other day that the best way to counter the S-300 and S-400 air defense missiles that the Russians are bringing to the Ukrainian borders is to destroy the launchers themselves directly at the positions. And I absolutely agree with that. Ukraine can effectively destroy these complexes today. After all, they have to approach and take up a position directly near the border with Ukraine in order to launch. So, these air defense systems are now within the radius of defeat of both our jet artillery and other countermeasures.

The S-300 and S-400 complexes are a terrorist type of weapon.

Today, Ukraine has a full legal right to perceive all S-300 and S-400 complexes near our border as enemy objects. After all, it is impossible to qualify these anti-aircraft missile defense systems as means of defense (that is how they are usually qualified all over the world), because Russia has reconfigured these systems as an offensive type of weapon. I would even say that it is a terrorist type of weapon. And it should be perceived precisely as a threat that has come too close to our borders.

The S-300 and S-400 air defense systems themselves are very vulnerable: a small amount of ammunition is enough to detonate an air defense system equipped with missiles. The S-400 complexes are designed to destroy large missiles or fighter jets, but they “see” and shoot down small objects. Therefore, small UAVs are an ideal weapon against them.

In my opinion, we should destroy them even when they are not in combat mode: “It is worth – to destroy.” And, it is clear that for strikes on the territory of Russia, an official decision must be made at the level of the country’s leadership.

In fact, Ukraine has long had the right to make a statement that it will defend itself when it sees a threat near its border. However, I understand why such a statement has not yet been made. We are trying to demonstrate that we do not have any aggressive views towards the Russian Federation. Although military experts often support the idea of ​​launching strikes on military facilities in Russia and Belarus.

Probably, now, after the tragic events in the Dnipro, Ukraine should already raise this issue so that international partners are not surprised in the future. Therefore, it is likely that we will eventually start implementing such transactions.

Oleksandr Kovalenko, military and political columnist of the “Information Resistance” group