Military expert Oleg Zhdanov said that there is currently no real threat of a new attack on Kharkiv.
Is there a threat of an attack by the Russian army on Kharkiv?
The Russian army is mercilessly shelling Kharkiv region every day. The day before, the first strike by guided aerial bombs with cluster charges was recorded on Kupiansk. Local authorities are forcibly evacuating families with children from the border, and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that he does not advise residents to return to Kharkiv.
Oleg Zhdanov said there is no real threat of a new attack on Kharkiv.
It is almost zero. The president correctly advised not to return, because the city is not protected, and today we do not have the means to close the sky over Kharkiv. The greater the population density, the more people will return to their homes, the greater the probability of a repetition of such a tragedy as we are witnessing today in Odessa. People do not always follow the rules of conduct during an air alert, ignore it or do not have time, and such cases, unfortunately, can happen, says a military expert.
He noted that as of the beginning of March 2024, there is no strike group of Russian troops opposite Kharkiv.
Society worries about security and, therefore, begins to interpolate events to the fears they have. The strike group is not formed. On the contrary, the Russian Federation is building a line of defence at the Belgorod border. They do something like the Surovikin line. By the way, Belgorod does not quite fall under the most vigorous defence. The second main line of defence passes outside the city in front of the Rostov-Moscow federal highway.
Oleg Zhdanov
military expert
The Russians have nothing to attack. However, Kharkiv is almost not protected from ballistic missiles of the S-300 and S-400 complexes, with which they bombard the city.
The fact is that the distance is minimal. The location of enemy complexes is fixed at least 70 kilometres from the city. And the takeoff time is 50 seconds. Residents of Kharkiv said that they recorded the shelling when 49 seconds passed from the launch to the explosion.
Missile strikes on Kharkiv: what can protect the city
According to Oleg Zhdanov, the only complex in the world that can theoretically protect Kharkiv is the Israeli "Iron Dome".
But you and I understand that it is unlikely that he will appear today. Then, when we begged Israel to provide it, and there were such appeals, it seems, a year ago, then the question was that they themselves did not have enough of it. Well, then our relations are not quite working out — Israel does not hand over samples of military equipment to us. From this follows the conclusion that it is easier to push the enemy away from the border with long-range means of fire damage in order to make it impossible to inflict damage on the city of Kharkiv, — the military expert said.
The only complex that can fight ballistic missiles is Patriot and its European counterpart SAMP/T, says Oleg Zhdanov.
In Kharkiv, the distance is very short. It is not a fact that even the Patriot will be able to intercept a ballistic missile at such a short distance in such a short time. That is why I say that theoretically the only complex in my opinion is the "Iron Dome". Because it was created for this. It has a maximum damage range of 70 kilometers. The other day, a video of another attack from Lebanon being repelled in the Haifa area appeared on the Internet. The shooting takes place directly on the border of the city. The "Iron Dome" battery is working, there are explosions in the air, there is an inversion trail from the missiles, — the military expert said.
According to Oleh Zhdanov, no other complex can react so quickly at such short distances — at least, the existence of such complexes is unknown.
Zelenskyy does not advise returning to Kharkiv
At a press conference in Kharkiv, Volodymyr Zelenskyi said that the city is not yet so protected as to advise people to return.
As for the return of Kharkiv residents: you see, I don't think that Kharkiv is currently so protected that I can advise people to return. This is the choice of the people of Kharkiv. Today it is so. If we are protected, and I wouldn't even say so, when that happens, Kharkiv residents will definitely receive signals from me and from our military first of all, — said the president.
Regarding the firing of S-300 missiles, Zelenskyy noted that the most important thing is to strengthen the region's air defence and push the Russian army further away.
We understand what is missing. We know that comprehensive protection is needed here. Probably, the most important thing is to act not only by strengthening the air defence of Kharkiv and the entire region but also by pushing the Russians to a greater distance. It will be very difficult to protect Kharkiv differently, even if we strengthen it with modern air defense systems, Zelenskyy said.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy
President of Ukraine
