President Zelenskyy does not let Russian attacks on the Ukrainian infrastructure get him down. His army manages to launch many rockets and drones. In 2023 Zelenskyj wants to expand the air defense. His defense minister, meanwhile, is making bleak forecasts for Russian troops.
According to Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Resnikov, the Russian army will lose its effectiveness for years to come due to its losses in Ukraine. According to Reznikov, the Russian armed forces will need at least five years to rebuild. "According to the findings of NATO reconnaissance, the Russians have suffered enormous losses in terms of tanks, artillery, armored personnel carriers and soldiers," Reznikov was quoted as saying by "Ukrajinska Pravda".
"The regular armed forces of the Russian Federation could be restored in five years at the earliest, maybe in ten years," said the minister. The same applies to Russia's missile potential. After all, this is a war of resources. "And they (NATO) can calculate those resources." Resnikov gave no information about his own armed forces. Both sides have already suffered heavy casualties since Russian troops invaded Ukraine in February. According to the Ukrainian account, the Russian army has already suffered over 100,000 casualties. The information cannot be independently verified.
As a result of repeated Russian rocket attacks on Ukrainian cities, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has announced a further expansion of the Ukrainian air defense system. "In the new year, Ukraine's air defense will become even stronger, even more effective," said Zelenskyy in his daily video address. As a result, Ukraine's air defense could become the strongest in all of Europe. "This will be a security guarantee not only for our country but for the entire continent."
In recent weeks, the Ukrainian armed forces' air defenses have achieved relatively high numbers of kills in large-scale Russian attacks with cruise missiles, rockets and so-called kamikaze drones. Given the mass of incoming projectiles, not all missiles could be repelled. The Ukrainian army, which already uses a number of foreign anti-aircraft systems, is awaiting the deployment of the announced US Patriot battery.
Ukrainian soldiers are currently being trained on the system. The Russian army has been targeting the Ukrainian energy grid since October, causing massive damage to the power and water supply for long periods of time. The aim is to put the population under pressure in winter. In this context, Zelenskyj referred to a "clear strategy" for securing electricity generation and distribution. "It takes a lot of effort, but it will work," he said. "It is one of the most important tasks for the next year and I have no doubt that we will master it."
