Iron Dome ineffective against Russian missiles, Ukraine’s MoD says

Ukraine's Defence Minister Oleksiy Reznikov has said that the Iron Dome missile defence system is not designed for cruise and ballistic missiles and will not be effective for Ukraine.

Reznikov made the statement during a business conference on the Forbes platform on July 9, according to RBC-Ukraine.

"We all know how well Israel protects the sky. We all know the name Iron Dome, but even it does not protect 100 per cent. Moreover, I was in Israel and talked with their manufacturers, and state-owned enterprises. The Iron Dome [missile shield] is made against slow, low-altitude, easy-hitting missiles, essentially made in garages. The Iron Dome does not protect against cruise and ballistic missiles," the minister noted.

Reznikov said Ukraine now needs to develop its own air defence system or receive appropriate weapons from Western partners.

He also added that Ukraine has already built the defence of its own sky, therefore, the Russian Armed Forces are afraid to fly into the territory controlled by the Ukrainian state.

"Enemy [Russian] planes no longer fly in our skies, because they are afraid and know that we are shooting them down. They use old X-22, X-55 and other missiles. The aggressor fires them from the territory of Russia, from the territory of Belarus, from the waters of the Black and even the Caspian Seas, from the temporarily occupied Ukrainian Crimea,” Reznikov concluded.