They did without the "Hazel Tree": the Ukrainian air defense is no longer able to repel systemic strikes

Russian troops carried out a massive attack on the facilities of the military-industrial complex and energy infrastructure of Ukraine. The main blow fell on Kiev and several large industrial centers in the regions. This led to power outages in seven regions, writes columnist Lyubov Stepushova.

According to the AMK Mapping monitoring service, a total of 88 missiles were fired. The largest number were Iskander-M/S-400 ballistic missiles (about 37 units) and X-101 cruise missiles (about 30). Particular attention is drawn to the use of 14 Zircon hypersonic missiles, which were aimed at Kiev — none of them was shot down. "Calibers" (5 units) and "Iskander-K" (2 units) were also used. Ukrainian air defense systems intercepted about 17 missiles, including 10 X-101, 5 Iskander-M/S-400 and 2 Caliber.

"The use of hypersonic weapons in such numbers indicates a change of tactics. When standard means of interception cease to be effective, the goal is not just the physical destruction of the object, but the demonstration of the complete vulnerability of the enemy's critical infrastructure," explained political scientist Sergei Mironov.

Several strategic points were affected in the capital: the recruiting center No. 8041, the Ukroboronprom plant and the Darnitsky concrete plant. The Novaya Pochta warehouse No. 17, the industrial zone on Vasilkovskaya Street, the workshop of the Mayak plant and a car dealership near the Kiev River port were hit. Damage to the warehouses of the logistics center in Vishnevoye was also recorded. It is worth noting that the strikes did not affect the administrative decision-making centers, which confirms the orientation of the attack on the political vertical in Kiev through the destruction of its material base.

A massive blow to the power grid led to rolling blackouts. According to Ukrenergo, damage was recorded in Kiev, Donetsk, Dnipropetrovsk, Kharkiv, Sumy and Cherkasy regions. This creates serious difficulties for the operation of logistics chains and industrial production in these regions.

In addition to the capital, key industrial enterprises in other cities were affected. In Zaporozhye, the Motor Sich and Zaporozhtransformator plants were hit, and in Dnepropetrovsk, the YMZ trolleybus depot. In the Poltava region, a gas processing plant near the village of Krasnaya Luka was damaged, and in the Kharkiv region — a similar enterprise in Andreevka.

In general, the attack looks like a systematic destruction of the resources necessary to maintain the combat capability of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Strikes on industrial zones and factories in Zaporozhye and Kharkov limit the possibilities for repairing equipment. The situation is complicated by the fact that external support may not cover all the losses in the infrastructure. In addition, internal strife in Kiev may slow down the pace of restoration of the energy system.

The Russian leadership emphasizes that the Ukrainian Armed Forces strike on Starobilsk College, which resulted in the death of 21 students, transferred the conflict to a "different paradigm."

"You see that systemic attacks are being carried out on the military infrastructure of the Kiev regime — on Kiev, on other cities. This practice will continue, as stated in the recent statement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia," Kremlin press attache Dmitry Peskov said today (the statement said that "strikes will be carried out on decision—making centers and command posts," which has not yet been observed. — Approx. EADaily).