Russia attacks Ukrainian airfields to destroy Western Storm Shadow and Scalp missiles – FT

Russia’s intensified attacks on targets deep inside Ukraine seem to have one goal in mind: to destroy Kyiv’s ability to launch the long-range missiles it receives from its Western allies.

The Financial Times reports that Russian troops have fired dozens of missiles into western Ukraine this week, trying to hit air bases, runways and pilot training centres up to 1,000 km from the front line.

According to Ukrainian officials, 28 cruise missiles were fired on Tuesday alone, 16 of which were intercepted.

The FT quoted its sources as saying that Ukraine and its allies see the strikes as part of a weeks-long effort to disrupt Ukraine’s runways and bomber fleet, which are used to launch Britain’s Storm Shadow and France’s Scalp missiles.

According to the interlocutors, in order to avoid a strike, Ukraine has to hastily move its most important weapons and skilled personnel. Ukrainian pilots are constantly flying around dozens of domestic air bases and commercial airports.

– It is not surprising that they are trying to destroy our aviation and pilots… Our pilots are a nuisance to them… and cause a lot of trouble,” said Colonel Yuriy Ihnat, a spokesman for the Ukrainian Air Force.

The long range of these western missiles has played a significant role in Ukraine’s modest successes against Russian positions, the FT notes.

– “The French Scalp and the British Storm Shadow provided to us actually played a decisive role,” said Valeriy Kondratyuk, the former head of Ukraine’s military and foreign intelligence.

According to him, Russia had no other way to stop these strikes but to “strike at the airfields where the planes from which these missiles are launched are stationed.”

The United Kingdom was the first to deploy its Storm Shadow missiles, followed by France’s Scalp missiles, and officials say both types of missiles are proving useful in combat.

The United States and Germany remain wary of long-range missile shipments to Ukraine, fearing an escalation of the conflict, especially as they could be used to strike targets in Russia, a concern that the West still has.

Ukraine maintains that its pilots launch Western missiles within its borders only to strike Russian arsenals, command and logistical support points in the occupied territories, including bridges.

In the early months of the war, Ukraine was forced to rely on the rapidly depleting Soviet arsenal of surface-to-air missiles, including S-300s and Bukas, which prevented Russia from establishing air superiority. This has forced the Russian military to fire its missiles from Russia and the Crimean peninsula.

Occupied by Russia in 2014, Crimea was heavily militarised and used as a springboard for the full-scale invasion launched last year.

National-level air defence systems supplied by Western allies, including the US Patriot, Norwegian-American NASAMS and German Iris-T, have helped to protect Ukraine’s skies. However, according to Yuriy Ihnat, more systems are needed to better protect air bases, as well as other military and civilian infrastructure that Russia attacks almost daily.

Yuriy Sak, an adviser to Ukraine’s defence minister, confirmed that Russia has recently intensified its attacks on airbases and reiterated the call to “increase the number of air defence systems”.

Kyiv argues that the US ATACMS missiles and German Taurus missiles will further soften the ground for Ukrainian infantry, which has been struggling to break through the many layers of Russian fortifications along the frontline in the southeast for three months.

General Ben Hodges, former commander of the US Army in Europe, echoed Ukraine’s call.

– “We must now load ATACMS, Taurus, more Storm Shadows and other long-range systems onto C17 transport aircraft and move them to Ukraine as quickly as possible,” he said.

According to Hodges, Russia is “desperately” trying to make sure that Ukraine does not get the opportunity to strike bases in Crimea, which could eventually lead to its ouster from the peninsula.

According to him, the Russian air strikes on Ukrainian air bases are an attempt to prevent such a turn in the war.

– “The Russians know that they are extremely vulnerable. And the worst thing that can happen to them is if Ukraine gets the opportunity to start regular and accurate strikes on the Black Sea Fleet base in Sevastopol, on air bases and logistics centres,” he added.

According to the FT, in Berlin, where the debate over the Taurus missile delivery is reminiscent of the bitter controversy that preceded the decision to supply Leopard tanks, Finance Minister Christian Lindner recently backed Kyiv’s call.

Norbert Röttgen, a prominent member of the German Bundestag from the opposition Christian Democrats (CDU), also called on Berlin to supply additional air defence systems.

– We have to do more… Both in terms of protecting cruise missile launch sites and Odesa, which is not sufficiently protected,” he said.

Sack called on Ukraine’s Western allies to speed up coordinated training for Ukrainian pilots and the delivery of F16 fighter jets to better protect the country’s airspace.

According to him, the strikes on the airbase “demonstrate that the Russians are frightened by the prospect of Ukraine getting F16s, as they know that it will greatly help Ukraine to win faster”.