The sky has become a battleground for a potential conflict between Russia and NATO. In Ukraine, Vladimir Putin is showing staying power.

Kyiv – Niklas Masohr was wrong. But huge. Or the Americans were wrong. or Vladimir Putin Fool Them All: In February Russia dictator in Ukraine war It launched its third fireworks display in the form of large-scale air strikes, at a cost of approximately 400 million euros, according to the magazine. Defense Express mentioned. Previously, he was said to have wasted nearly €600 million in January this year.

Niklas Masoher could not have imagined such massive blows at the end of the second year of the war. More than a year ago, the researcher said… Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) In Zurich opposite Federal Agency for Civic Education She clearly identified a different assessment of the situation.

“If you look at the observers that way Institute for the Study of War (ISW) In Washington, D.C., the last major missile strike is believed to have been about 100 missiles on the ground Ukraine One of the last major attacks at the moment. Russia will soon not be able to afford to use self-guided precision weapons such as Iskander or Kalibr missiles for such a complex strike – that is, missiles. The Russian army is running out of precision ammunition. “There were only limited supplies from the beginning, and it is likely that a certain percentage of them will be frozen in anticipation of a possible escalation with NATO.” It is a complete miscalculation.

Putin's weapons industry: an inexhaustible arsenal – thanks to German help

Because what is present at the front currently looks different. While many attacks remain stuck on the front lines, Putin's military is expanding its air strikes in the Ukraine war. The Germans and other Western companies are still working hard for the Russian arms industry, according to research by the editorial team Answer-magazine a screen. With international support for Ukraine declining, Russia's arsenal appears inexhaustible. This may also be due to the fact that Western technology continues to be delivered to Russia despite numerous sanctions imposed by the European Union. Despite all the punishments, it is a horror with no predictable end.

Experts still believe that the primary goal of these attacks appears to be to break Ukraine's will to resist. The goal is to worsen the humanitarian situation to such an extent that the Ukrainian population will put pressure on the government in Kiev. To make matters worse, the Russian side currently lacks the necessary momentum to carry out other far-reaching operations to regain the initiative. Masaher: “Such missile attacks are the only means that Russia currently has to strike Ukraine.” It is an expensive campaign. the Kyiv Post Provides estimates for Forbes magazine Latent.

Given the scale of Russia's attacks, NATO is debating the matter controversially – politicians expect something bad, but science sees Russia's fur slipping more clearly with each day of the Ukrainian campaign. Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen said Scandinavian countries are currently spreading a touch of panic: Denmark must accelerate its military investments after new evidence suggests that Russia is rearming faster than expected and that it may attack a NATO country within three to five years. Newspaper Jyllands Boston. “Russia’s ability to produce military equipment has increased significantly,” he said.

It is conceivable that Russia will put Article 5 and NATO solidarity to the test within three to five years. “This was not the NATO assessment in 2023, but the new results that are emerging now,” Lund-Poulsen said. Federal Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD) spoke of up to eight years of preparation time. In the short term, the risk of an attack on the Alliance is likely to be low, Lydia Wax says from Tank of thought Science and Policy Foundation: Russia's military capabilities, including its missiles, are sufficient to sustain the war in Ukraine – and in any case, there are no obvious immediate bottlenecks – the average number of cruise and ballistic missiles deployed alone is telling.

Putin's missile losses: 44 out of 64 missiles fell victim to anti-aircraft defense

At the same time, the country may need the remaining capabilities to achieve its political and military goals in Ukraine. However, it is expected that in the medium to long term Russia will be able to fully restore its capabilities. Wax estimates that even then, Russia probably has too few cruise missiles and rockets to wage a long conventional war with NATO. There is no doubt that the war in Ukraine is draining Russian arsenals; In addition, the accuracy of weapons is affected. Of the 64 missiles that recently penetrated Ukraine, Ukrainian anti-aircraft defenses shot 44 missiles out of the sky. Among them are 26 Kh-101/Kh-555/Kh-55 cruise missiles, 3 Kalibr cruise missiles, and 15 drones.

So far, Russia appears to have been unable to destroy or significantly weaken Ukrainian air defenses, and is therefore using its air forces in a fairly low-risk manner. Yet missiles are Vladimir Putin's weapon of choice, which is why the solidarity of NATO partners is so important. The second step of the “Sky Shield Initiative” has been achieved since the middle of last year. “To strengthen joint air defence, 19 European countries are currently uniting their efforts to procure appropriate weapon systems and ensure operations,” Federal Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said in Brussels at the end of last year. The framework conditions for cooperative procurement are therefore becoming more realistic in order to save costs for Europe and keep operating costs low.

Putin's Future Terror: Arrow-3 – Experts decry this

Therefore, Germany is also purchasing IRIS-T SLM weapon systems (Infrared Imaging System – Medium-Range Surface Launched Tail/Thrust Controlled Weapon Systems), which have already proven themselves under combat conditions in Ukraine. However, the German army currently lacks systems capable of protecting German territory against long-range missiles. Therefore, the federal government is purchasing the Israeli-American Arrow 3 missile defense system for about four billion euros – a type of satellite that collides with an enemy missile at an altitude of about 100 kilometers in its path and thus destroys it.