President Volodymyr Zelenskyy believes that one of the key mistakes of Ukraine after the collapse of the Soviet Union was the massive reduction of air defense systems. According to him, it is this strategic underestimation of security that today significantly affects the state's ability to resist russian aggression.
The Head of State stated this in a video interview with the American publication Axios.
"We do not have enough weapons. We cannot match Russia in the number of missiles, drones, artillery. But the biggest problem is the lack of air defense systems," Zelenskyy emphasized.
The President noted that Ukraine received a powerful arsenal of air defense systems from the USSR. However, in the first years of independence, most of these systems were sold off. In particular, we are talking about Soviet S-300 air defense systems.
"We had 250 air defense systems. When I became President, only 23 remained. And even fewer missiles for them. Everything was sold. This is a big mistake," Zelenskyy added.
He also mentioned that along with nuclear weapons, which Ukraine abandoned in the 1990s, the country also had significant potential in the field of air defense - but it was lost without proper strategic awareness of the risks.
Zelenskyy emphasized: russia today has an advantage in the air precisely due to this irreversible loss of a defense resource. Therefore, one of the main needs of Ukraine today is air defense systems capable of protecting cities, critical infrastructure and military facilities.
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