Russia may continue to target critical infrastructure facilities and government buildings

Although the winter is over and Ukraine's energy system has survived, Russian forces may continue to attack Ukrainian energy facilities, transportation infrastructure, water and wastewater treatment plants, and government buildings remain Russia's priority targets.

Source: Colonel Yurii Ihnat, spokesperson for Ukraine’s Air Force, in an interview with 24 TV Channel

Quote from Ihnat: "They can attack anything. They have priority targets: government buildings, buildings of the Armed Forces and the Ministry of Defence. That is, as they call them, ‘decision-making centres’.

Also, transport infrastructure, hydraulic structures, sewage treatment plants. Everything that can bring people grief and environmental disaster. And as we can see from the aftermath of 9 March, the enemy does not stop trying to attack our energy sector.

Government buildings are not only the capital, as we remember [the cases of] Kharkiv and Mykolaiv Oblast State Administrations. Therefore, we can expect anything from them. We just need to be prepared and destroy everything that comes at us. And people should follow safety recommendations.

Will they continue to do so? Although production continues, the primary strategic stockpile of the latest cruise and ballistic missiles is running out. We are talking about the Kh-101, Kalibr, Iskander-M, and Kinzhal. These are the weapons that can fly far and hit within a radius of 10–20 meters. These are high-precision long-range weapons."

Details: Regarding the balloons with angular reflectors that Russia began launching into Ukrainian airspace in winter, Ihnat said that "anything in the sky is an air target," but the military leadership decides whether to shoot it down according to the threat it poses, because "you can't just fire missiles that cost millions of dollars at everything." Ihnat noted that the Russians aim most of their attacks at the capital and its outskirts because "the enemy's goal is to strike at the heart of the country." Therefore, Kyiv Oblast is heavily defended.

Quote: "Each Oblast is defended by different systems, but the country's top military leadership understands the enemy's priority targets. That is why the lion's share of missiles and Shaheds are shot down over the capital's outskirts.

Sometimes 100% of missiles are shot down, for example, four out of four, and sometimes two out of four. This is normal because it is not always possible to detect and intercept those missiles. The enemy is cunning and considers all intelligence, primarily that related to space and ground reconnaissance, and the agents are working, too And there are people who can help the enemy with photos. 

In addition, aerial reconnaissance is also conducted to identify positions. The same A-50 [AWACS jet] takes off when our air defence system is operating, and it sees the approximate launch sites. Each time they are different, but they form a specific algorithm. We know all this and take it into account, but they also take it into account when planning their next attacks.

Therefore, the Russians plan the route of missiles and attack UAVs in such a way that they can even fly in a circle. They use the terrain, riverbeds of the Dnipro, Dniester, and Southern Bug rivers to keep both missiles and Shaheds flying as low as possible. It is difficult to catch and shoot down an air target there because they are not visible on radar. Cruise missiles are designed to fly closer to the ground, scanning the terrain during flight."

Details: Ihnat added that the medium-range air defence systems available in Ukraine cannot physically cover the entire country; they cover essential strategic areas and critical infrastructure, and they are constantly moving. 

Other areas are covered by fighter jets and mobile fire groups. 

The Air Force’s spokesman added that the Armed Forces have a wide range of different Soviet and foreign-made air defence systems, "but it is not enough" because Ukraine is a large country.

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