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  • Ukraine gets green light to strike Russia — and it’s no longer enough
    The announcement by the German government, in addition to similar steps by the United States, France, and the United Kingdom, finally lifts the taboo on the use of Western weapons for military purposes on the territory of the aggressor.  The cost of hesitation is already being measured in terms of destroyed cities and human lives. Take a look back at last year, when delays in aid packages led to a “missile crisis” and catastrophic consequences for Ukraine’s energy sector. Taking advant
     
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✇Euromaidan Press

Ukraine gets green light to strike Russia — and it’s no longer enough

Par :Oksana Ostapchuk
5 juin 2025 à 03:53

The announcement by the German government, in addition to similar steps by the United States, France, and the United Kingdom, finally lifts the taboo on the use of Western weapons for military purposes on the territory of the aggressor. 

The cost of hesitation is already being measured in terms of destroyed cities and human lives. Take a look back at last year, when delays in aid packages led to a “missile crisis” and catastrophic consequences for Ukraine’s energy sector.

Taking advantage of Ukraine’s inability to reach its launch sites, Russia methodically destroyed power stations. In March 2024, Russia launched its largest missile attack on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, using 63 drones and 88 missiles of various types. The attack damaged the facilities of the national operators Ukrenergo, Energoatom, and Naftogaz, while also shutting down the Dnipro hydroelectric power station.

As a direct result of these delays, last summer Ukrainians were forced to live with power cuts lasting up to 4-6 hours. This is not just an inconvenience — bur a major blow to the economy, social stability, and the nation’s morale.

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Why air defence system is not enough anymore

According to The Economist, a year ago, 30 drones per night was seen as unusual. Today, hundreds of Shahed and dozens of missiles are the new reality. Only on 25 May, the Kremlin fired 298 drones and 69 missiles at Ukraine — one of the all-time records.

Russia is not just increasing the numbers, it is improving the weapons: ballistic missiles from North Korea, new and more lethal generation of Shahed that use machine learning to hit defended targets. These Shaheds no longer rely on GPS, but are guided by artificial intelligence and can even use Ukrainian internet networks to transmit data.

Their quantity, however, remains the main problem. The Kremlin used to produce about 300 Shaheds a month; now it takes less than three days to produce the same number.

According to the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine, Russia plans to increase production to 500 drones per day. Even if this is an exaggeration, it is clear that the numbers will increase significantly. No air defence system, no matter how sophisticated, can cope with this number of targets.

Likewise, Ukraine’s partners simply have no time to produce interceptor drones in the required quantity. Each missile or drone that Ukraine shoots down is a huge resource that is much more expensive than the attacked object. It’s a race for life, and Ukraine can’t win if it only defends itself.

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Strike at the heart of the threat

In this light, the only correct and logical solution is to strike at the launch sites — even before enemy drones, missiles, and aircraft enter Ukrainian airspace.

This fundamental change in strategy will allow Kyiv not only to defend but also to counterattack the aggressor, saving lives, protecting critical infrastructure, and reducing the enormous pressure on Ukraine’s air defence.

Kyiv’s partners have a clear and fair resource: confiscation of frozen Russian assets. Billions of dollars of frozen Russian funds should be used to purchase the necessary weapons for Ukraine. Alternatively, Ukraine can use the $150 billion Safe Loan instrument proposed by Mr. Kubilius, which provides for lending to Ukraine secured by confiscated Russian assets.

There is no time for hesitation. A new strategy, with the necessary weapons and funding, is the way to truly defend Ukraine and bring peace.

Victoria Voytsitska is the Advocacy Director for the energy sector at the International…

Editor’s note. The opinions expressed in our Opinion section belong to their authors. Euromaidan Press’ editorial team may or may not share them.

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