Western Air Defense Systems Have Limited Effect on Putin's Mass Strikes

The mass strikes unleashed by Russian President Vladimir Putin early Monday have spotlighted a gap in Ukraine's defense system, raising the pressure on Western allies to quickly deliver more advanced military technology. But those efforts may run up against their own limitations when it comes to helping Ukraine defend itself against Moscow.

On Monday, Germany announced it would provide the first of four new air defense systems to Ukraine within days, urging other nations that "the renewed missile fire on Kyiv and the many other cities show how important it is to supply Ukraine with air defence systems quickly"—an argument that both Ukraine's defense minister and the European Commission have made in recent days.

But the broadness of Putin's latest attack, and its energy targets, could cap the effect that Western aid could have.

"While deliveries of these air defense systems aid Ukraine's effort, they will have limited tactical effect," William Reno, the chair of the political science department at Northwestern University, told Newsweek.

According to German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, the defense system being delivered would make it possible to protect "an entire major city from Russian air attacks."

"Russian statements indicate that strikes in the past 24 hours were intended to target water and electricity infrastructure," Reno said. "Even if these targets were hit—and many missiles landed elsewhere—tactical effects would be limited."

Dozens of missile strikes knocked out power and water in several Ukrainian cities on Monday as Moscow threatened Ukraine's energy facilities ahead of what is expected to be a difficult winter. At least 15 regions were left with partially disrupted electricity, officials said.

Putin's attack on Monday is likely to pressure the Biden administration to accelerate the delivery of the National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System (NASAMS) that is expected to arrive in late November.

The White House said in a statement that President Joe Biden spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky following the strikes, and that Biden "pledged to continue providing Ukraine with the support needed to defend itself, including advanced air defense systems."

Although the string of attacks ordered on Monday is the largest attack on Ukraine's power grid since the start of Russia's invasion, Reno noted that the strikes' indiscriminate targeting "points to Russian weaknesses."

Because Moscow's attacks appeared nonselective, Reno said Putin either intended for civilian casualties, or his troops have poor targeting practice.

"In any event, it may be difficult for Russia to sustain a high rate of missile launches," he said.