Alarm may sound immediately after explosion: "Flash" explains specifics of ballistic attacks
Serhii "Flash" Beskrestnov, an advisor to Ukraine's Minister of Defense, explained why, during russian ballistic missile attacks, air raid alerts are sometimes delayed or, conversely, issued without an actual missile launch.
He shared this information on his social media accounts.
According to Beskrestnov, Ukraine receives information about preparations for launches and the launches themselves from international partners.
“None of us knows—nor should we know—how they obtain this information, but it doesn’t take a genius to understand that the main sources of information are satellite surveillance of launch sites and systems that record launch data,” he noted.
The expert emphasized that during ballistic missile strikes, there is extremely little time to react, as a missile can reach Kyiv in just a few minutes.
“A missile reaches Kyiv in 2–4 minutes, so time is very limited. Any system failure will lead to a delay in receiving information. No system can be perfect, so glitches do happen, and the alarm signal may be delayed,” explained “Flash.”
At the same time, he noted that sometimes an alert is issued, but the missile launch itself never takes place.
According to him, satellites can detect preparatory activities at launch pads, which usually precede a rocket launch, but the launch may ultimately be canceled.
“This happens because satellites detect activity at launch pads that precedes rocket launches, but the launches themselves may not take place for some reason,” explained Beskrestnov.
As an example, he cited the situation involving numerous reports of possible launches of the “Oreshnik” missile.
“Remember how many times there were false alarms regarding the ‘Oreshnik’? It’s the same with reconnaissance satellites: they visually detect activity at a launch pad, but whether a launch will actually take place or not remains unclear,” added the advisor to the Minister of Defense.
As a reminder, the enemy has begun shelling the capital with shrapnel rockets. These are weapons of terror specifically aimed at civilians.