How Iranian ballistic missiles will affect the war in Ukraine: Sky News expert analysis
Military expert and vice-marshal of the British Air Force Sean Bell believes that the supply of Iranian ballistic missiles to Russia can become a serious challenge for Ukraine, as it will allow Moscow to significantly increase the intensity of its missile strikes throughout the country. About this writes Sky News.
According to Bell, the use of Iranian missiles would allow Russia to preserve its limited stockpile of long-range Iskander-type missiles, which could allow it to focus these missiles on specific strategic targets inside Ukraine.
Russian cruise missiles played a key role in the early stages of the war, striking deep into the rear of Ukrainian forces. However, with the advent of advanced Western air defense systems, such as Patriot, the effectiveness of these missiles has significantly decreased. The superiority of air defense systems over Western technologies limited Russia’s opportunities for further successful attacks.
However, the situation is complicated by Iranian ballistic missiles, which are a more dangerous threat to air defense systems. The main problem is their hypersonic speed, which makes such missiles a difficult target even for the most advanced Western air defense systems. Interception of such missiles is possible only with the help of extremely expensive anti-aircraft missiles, stocks of which are limited even in NATO countries. This creates a potential gap in Ukraine’s defense, which depends on the precise interception of each threat to protect civilian infrastructure and military facilities.
In addition, Sean Bell draws attention to a serious international aspect of this cooperation: Russia and Iran appear as partners cooperating to circumvent Western sanctions. Moscow not only supplies Iran with modern technologies, but also provides expert support for the development of Iran’s nuclear program. This causes concern not only in Ukraine, but also in the international community, as such cooperation can contribute to the further escalation of conflicts at the global level.
Bell emphasizes that in the event of an increase in Iranian-Russian military cooperation, Ukraine and its allies will face new challenges in ensuring their security.
