Ukraine can strike deep into Russia, as Russian air defence has degraded

Ukraine has learnt to strike extremely deep in Russia, as Russian air defences are stretched.

Here's What We Know

George Barros, an expert at the US Institute for the Study of War, said that many Ukrainian drones were able to penetrate the point where Russian air defences could stop them.

"We have seen many times how Ukrainians have penetrated Russian air defences. Russian air defences should have been able to destroy them very easily," he said.

Russia's air defences were a formidable tool in the war with Ukraine. They shot down Ukrainian aircraft and missiles, largely denying Ukraine access to Russian airspace.

Ukraine's defences also proved effective in deterring Russia's much larger air force - something that air war experts praise as an outstanding achievement given Ukraine's disadvantage in the air.

This has thus created a situation of "balance" in the air, in which both sides are largely limited to using their own aircraft on their own territory. Of course, this does not take into account the guided aerial bombs that the Russians are continuously dropping on Ukrainian defenders.

However, Barros said that Russia's defences were "stretched" and that this gave Ukraine new opportunities. According to him, Russia has "neglected the defence of territories" that are not close to Ukraine. In addition, many Russian air defence systems were damaged and destroyed by Ukrainians. The expert also explained that Russia has "deployed its air defence assets to protect areas under air threat". For example, Ukraine recently managed to reach the remote region of Tatarstan, which is 1300 km from the border along the contact line.

"This incident was very revealing. The Russians have probably positioned their air defence assets in such a way that they have good coverage in the immediate theatre around Ukraine. But they have no air defence outside of it," Barros said.

Source: Business Insider