Odesa, a major port city in the southern part of Ukraine, has been a target of systematic long-range ballistic attacks by the russian invasion forces over the past months. Now, the city has gotten its own anti-ballistic umbrella, as follows from a brief published by Ukrainian Navy Spokesman Dmytro Pletenchuk on July 19th morning.
A russian Iskander missile targeting the Odesa Region on July 18 had been taken down successfully, he reported, noting that it's a "remarkable event."
Read more: Is Ukraine Capable to Destroy russia's Newest S-500 SAM Systems?
In local social media, multiple videos presumably showing the downing of a russian ballistic missile are going viral.
That means, the fact Odesa got an anti-ballistic air defense weapon, is no longer a secret from russian forces who could be even aware of the specific type of system. After all, each radar — the cornerstone of an air defense system — has a unique emission signature that is easy to catch and identify with signal intelligence equipment and methods.
Especially considering there are not many options for Ukraine to choose from. The only ones available are the American Patriot and European SAMP/T which have the hit-to-kill capability necessary to intercept ballistic threats effectively.
During the recent NATO Summit in Washington, the members committed to providing additional anti-ballistic capabilities for Ukraine. That includes four Patriot systems, with the United States, Germany, Romania, and the Netherlands each donating one battery, respectively, and one SAMP/T fire unit pledged by Italy.
Worth noting, besides countering ballistic threats like Iskander-M short-range missiles, both Patriot and SAMP/T also protect against high-speed missiles, such as Kh-22 (and Kh-32, its upgraded variant), P-800 Oniks, hypersonic 3M22 Zircon and ballistic Kh-47 Kinzhal.
Read more: Germany Delivered the Promised 100 Patriot Missiles to Ukraine: How Much and How Long it Took
