Russia has no success on the battlefield, so the invaders attack the Ukrainian civilian population all the more mercilessly. The energy infrastructure has been targeted for weeks – as winter approaches. According to Putin’s plans, the Ukrainians should be dark and cold. Until now, Iranian drones and cruise missiles have been used to achieve this. Now even more devastating short-range missiles, including from Iran, should do the job. This presents Ukraine with major problems.
Everything indicates that Iran is now supplying Russia with highly accurate ballistic missiles in addition to drones. Several hundred pieces are shipped, reports the American broadcaster CNN, among others. A “missile storm” of highly accurate and devastating missiles would put Ukraine at extremely high risk, writes military journalist Tyler Rogoway. Because the Iranian missiles pose a disproportionately greater threat to Ukrainian infrastructure than the smaller kamikaze drones used to date. Important supply routes and logistics centers in western Ukraine can now be seized.
Difficult to defend against missiles
The Fateh-110 (“Conqueror”) missiles and its variant Zolfaghar transport hundreds of kilograms of explosives to the target, about ten times as much as kamikaze drones. They are faster and more manoeuvrable than the slow, propeller-driven drones with Austrian engines. As early as October, the head of Ukraine’s secret service, Kyrylo Budanov, said he expected Iran’s short-range missiles to be used by Russia in November. “This is a serious threat because Iranian missiles, unlike Russian ones, are very accurate, have a high speed and have already been used in the war,” he said in an interview.
Blackout danger increases
The main target must remain Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, which has already been targeted by Russia in recent weeks. The possible use of Iranian missiles poses a major risk to Ukrainian power plants and the electricity grid. With the onset of winter, the threat comes at the worst possible time. In Kiev, the ongoing attacks could lead to a blackout. Even a complete evacuation of the Ukrainian capital is being considered in such a case.
Russia has nearly exhausted its own missile arsenal through crushing sanctions and technology embargoes stocks are hard to come by. Iran is now all the more important as an arms supplier to the Russian war machine. Iran, itself sanctioned by the West, has managed to circumvent sanctions with its supply chains and has been mass-producing missiles for years.
To successfully fend off such attacks, Ukraine needs a MIM-104 Patriot system capable of launching medium-range tactical ballistic missiles, Rogoway said. The US supply of the Patriot system has already been considered. But training Ukrainian soldiers would take months. There is also a risk that Russia sees a shipment as direct interference in the war – a red line that the United States and other NATO members are careful not to cross. For the same reason, the Biden administration even refuses to supply short-range missiles to Ukraine.
“Initiating a New Phase”
In any case, the use of Iran’s missiles “will usher in a new phase in a war whose end is not yet in sight,” Rogoway said. Now calls for missile deliveries to Ukraine would grow even louder. That could mean a further escalation of the war in Ukraine.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
