Ukraine needs about two thousand anti-ballistic missiles per year – Kubilius

Due to improvements in the tactical and technical characteristics of Russian ballistic missiles, interception effectiveness in Ukraine has declined, meaning the country now requires a greater number of interceptors.

European Commissioner for Defence and Space, Andrus Kubilius, stated this at a press conference in Brussels, according to an Ukrinform correspondent.

He said that they knew the needs of Ukraine.

Kubilius noted that last year Ukraine had faced 2,000 missile strikes, about 900 of which were ballistic. The Russians had improved the capabilities of their ballistic missiles, which could now change trajectory, making countermeasures less effective.

He explained that in this context, more than one interceptor may be needed to neutralize each ballistic missile.

Kubilius stated that, as a result, Ukrainians needed about 2,000 anti-ballistic missiles per year.

He recalled NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte's words, emphasizing that Europe needs to increase air defense production by 400 percent. He added that this defense must be multilayered, including drone-based interceptors.

He emphasized that this was a major task and said the industry was responding by increasing production, adding that the EU was taking the issue seriously and aimed to achieve results in the near future.

As reported, the European Commission introduced a new €115 million funding instrument for defense production, AGILE, designed to implement revolutionary defense technologies at record speed.