S-300PS rocket systems are pictured during the Kyiv Independence Day Parade connected Khreshchatyk Street connected the 30th day of Ukraine's independence, Kyiv, superior of Ukraine. (Photo in installments should publication Volodymyr Tarasov/ Ukrinform/Future Publishing via Getty Images)
Future Publishing via Getty Images
Four years and six months into its grinding warfare pinch Russia, Ukraine finds itself critically short of basal American-made MIM-104 Patriot rocket defense systems to shield its cities and captious infrastructure from Russian ballistic missiles. With the warfare connected Iran having quickly expended ample quantities of Patriot interceptors that could return years to replenish, Kyiv is moving connected upgrading its older Soviet-era S-300 strategical missiles by building caller interceptors arsenic portion of a task pinch the United States. NATO personnel Greece still possesses a comparatively modern S-300 variant, the PMU-1, and stockpiles of interceptor missiles acquired successful the precocious 1990s that could thief Ukraine. However, Athens is improbable to transportation these systems aliases missiles for various reasons.
CNN reported Monday connected a Patriot sitting idle successful a Ukrainian cornfield that hadn’t been fired for the past 10 weeks arsenic Ukrainian stockpiles of these missiles scope alarmingly debased levels. Almost 5 years of warfare pinch Russia has seen Ukraine go a world leader successful processing and building cost-effective defense systems and strategies against drones, specified arsenic the Iranian-designed Shaheds Russia has utilized successful ample numbers since 2022. However, Kyiv’s expertise to create defenses against ballistic missiles is overmuch much limited, a weakness that Moscow is only excessively happy to exploit. CNN’s study noted that July has go the deadliest period for Ukrainian civilians since May 2022.
One solution Ukraine is moving connected to plug this captious capacity spread is modernizing its arsenal of older S-300 systems inherited from the Soviet Union and building caller missiles for them.
“There’s a associated U.S.-Ukrainian effort going connected to fundamentally retrofit aliases upgrade the aged S-300 missiles aliases a newer version of the S-300 and springiness it amended capabilities,” retired U.S. Army Col. Robert Hamilton told PBS successful an August 5 interview. “And truthful that should travel online adjacent the extremity of this year. But, again, we’re talking 100 aliases a mates of 100 a twelvemonth that could beryllium produced.”
Before Ukraine received its first Patriot systems provided by the U.S., Germany, and the Netherlands, opening successful April 2023, it relied heavy connected its strategical S-300s to fend disconnected Russia’s larger and much modern aerial force. However, these interceptors were besides finite.
“S-300, they activity very well,” said Ukraine’s then-Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov successful precocious 2022. “The truth is that they were not made successful Ukraine, that is, we do not person S-300 missiles, truthful we usage stocks.”
Reznikov went connected to adhd that Kyiv was negotiating to get other interceptor missiles from the arsenals of different S-300 operators to replenish its reserve and support Russia’s aerial unit astatine bay. Earlier that year, Slovakia gave Ukraine its sole S-300PMU strategy on pinch an estimated 45 5V55U interceptor missiles, which person a maximum scope of astir 93 miles. Ukraine entered the warfare pinch older Soviet-era S-300PT and S-300PS variants primitively introduced successful the precocious 1970s and mid-1980s, respectively.
In early April 2023, a report successful The New York Times indicated that Ukraine’s S-300s and Buk systems, which past made up 89 percent of Ukraine’s aerial defense against Russian warplanes and bombers, were wrong a period of depletion. Luckily for Kyiv, the much precocious Patriots started arriving then, and it quickly put them to effective use. More than 3 years later, these Patriots are besides facing depletion, and it isn’t clear erstwhile Kyiv tin get capable replacements aliases perchance license-produce interceptors locally.
Ukraine would nary uncertainty invited replacement S-300 interceptors aliases moreover complete batteries from allied countries that person them. In precocious 2025, Norway generously agreed to pay for S-300 interceptors for Ukraine. Timely transportation of other interceptors could bargain Kyiv clip until the upgraded interceptors it’s processing commencement rolling disconnected the assembly line, reloading launchers, and reentering the fight.
In a bizarre section successful the precocious 1990s, Greece acquired 2 S-300PMU-1 systems and 175 5V55U missiles primitively ordered by Cyprus but ne'er delivered because the acquisition sparked a crisis pinch Turkey. Athens later test-fired these Russian systems connected Crete successful 2013 and reportedly allowed the Israeli Air Force to train against them. Israel destroyed Iran’s S-300PMU-2 systems successful the caller wars without losing immoderate crewed aircraft.
Greece apt still has a sizeable number of operational 5V55U missiles available. Ukraine would surely invited the opportunity to get them, and Norway would almost surely beryllium consenting to ft the bill. While Athens has provided subject assistance since the 2022 invasion, it has proven hesitant to transportation the S-300s, astatine slightest not without timely replacements of Patriots, which seems overmuch little apt these days. Furthermore, Moscow warned it against doing so, noting that Athens requires its authorization to transportation those rocket systems to immoderate 3rd party. And Russia has nary desire to authorize Ukraine acquiring specified strategical systems for glaringly evident reasons.
In July, Greece approved up to $4 billion for chiefly Israeli-made systems for its Achilles’ Shield multilayered aerial defense project, which intends to protect the state from various threats ranging from drones to ballistic missiles. And while Cyprus ne'er sewage its S-300s each those years ago, it did precocious acquire tin Barak MX systems from Israel successful 2025, which person anti-ballistic capabilities.
George Tzogopoulos, a elder chap astatine the Center International de Formation Européenne, outlined respective reasons why these systems, primitively ordered by Cyprus and possessed by Greece, are improbable to extremity up successful Ukraine anytime soon.
Politically, he noted that Greece-Ukraine relations are “rather strained” aft a caller incident successful Greek waters. In May, he recalled, Greek authorities discovered a Ukrainian maritime drone adjacent the land of Lefkada, perchance dispatched by Kyiv to target tankers exporting Russian oil.
“The Ukrainian overseas ministry had to publically apologize to Greece successful the contiguous aftermath,” Tzogopoulos told me. “Further to this naval incident, the Greek authorities is concerned astir the grade to which cordial Turkish-Ukrainian relations are affecting the prospects of Greek-Ukrainian collaboration connected the co-production of maritime drones.”
“Conditions group by Kyiv do not make enthusiasm successful Athens.”
And while Greece’s stance against Russia’s penetration of Ukraine hasn’t changed, Athens has concluded that providing unequivocal support hasn’t led Kyiv to, successful turn, “prioritize Greek nationalist interests” successful overseas argumentation and subject strategy.
“Against this backdrop, Greece appears skeptical of sending its S-300PMU-1s to Ukraine and causing Russia’s wrath,” Tzogopoulos said. “While the EU is presently looking for ways to re-engage pinch Russia, Athens has nary logic to acquisition different debased constituent successful its relations pinch Moscow.”
And while the Greek expert noted that method ways to nonstop the Greek S-300s to Ukraine via the U.S. aliases Norway do exist, the governmental consequence will “hardly beryllium different” for Greece.
“More importantly, the modernization the Achilles Shield will bring to the Greek defense assemblage does not automatically render the Russian strategy useless,” Tzogopoulos said. “Time is required, and Greece is not prepared to decommission them successful the short-term aliases mean term. Greece’s privilege remains to safeguard its nationalist security, which is anchored to Turkey’s deterrence.”
“This is the main logic why it had not sent its S-300 PMU-1s to Ukraine before.”
He concluded that Greece could switch the S-300s pinch different systems successful the future.
“The metallic lining successful this lawsuit is that Greece will not person to grip Russia’s response,” Tzogopoulos said. “It is not presently connected the agenda, however.”
“In the interim, I would not exclude constricted Greek-Ukrainian collaboration connected the issue, but this mostly depends connected the wide cognition of Ukraine, which is presently scrutinized successful Greece.”
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