So you're telling me that there is no S-300 or S-400 cover in all of Berdyansk, Mariupol, Melitopol, Donetsk City, Luhansk City, etc, where Ukraine has been striking with impunity this week? No systems in / near any of those places, that can intercept Storm Shadow cruise missiles? Ukraine is free to hammer Russian held positions in those occupied areas?
Sign me up!
I know it may sound crazy, but let me explain.
First and foremost, you can't do Area defence against cruise missile strikes,
it is mostly point defence.
And there are hundreds of Russian outposts distributed all around those cities. Few batteries of S-300/S-400 (which are brought in mostly to provide A2D bubbles against Ukrainian aircrafts) are not gonna be able to defend most of those outposts.
And it make sense, because it is not logical nor possible to deploy strategic heavy AD batteries to defend hundreds of temporary and small outposts.
Systems like S-300 or S-400 is only deployed to protect strategic permanent bases. Or to provide wider A2D bubbles against aircrafts for division/brigade level manuever forces. (Which is the case here)
Secondly, even though Russians has Kub, Buk and Pantshir type smaller units deployed in greater numbers, still they are not efficient enough.
(In addition to that, smaller and old systems are not that much capable either against Ultra-modern threats.)
Given this is the situation, we cannot accurately verify if S-300/S-400 batteries are constantly failing to intercept Ukrainian deep strike package. (Because there are way too many variables are in play here.)
Let's see what others think. @Gary
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