If Russia continues to increase its weapons production and improve its technology with the help of its allies, the war could spread beyond the east and south of the country, Lt. Gen. Serhii Naiev, in charge of defending Ukraine’s northern border, told ABC News.
“We are preparing for it,” he said. “We build defenses, lay mines and train our armed forces.”
In the first months of the all-out invasion, Russia attacked Ukraine from the east, north and south. Many regions and cities have had first-hand experience of combat. But after Russia’s rapid attack failed and it was forced to withdraw troops from the north, most of the fighting along the front line was concentrated in the east and south, namely in the Kharkiv, Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson oblasts.
In other regions, direct attacks occurred due to waves of Russian missile and drone attacks.
Naiev, who is also the commander of the Joint Forces, said the importance of the level of technology is more important than the amount of ammunition each side has.
The officer’s observations were made during the ABC’s visit to a training base of Ukraine’s mobile air defense units, whose mission is to detect and intercept Russian drones effectively, flexibly and cost-effectively.
Mobile fire groups carry out reconnaissance tasks and engage air targets. They offer a decisive advantage over stationary air defense systems: They are quickly ready for use in just 10 minutes and can maneuver flexibly in different terrain.
According to the Air Force, on November 25, these units destroyed 40% of Russia’s recent mass attack with 75 drones.
Also read: Russia launches record number of drones against Ukraine on Holodomor Memorial Day
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