KYIV, Ukraine (Chatnewstv.com) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Thursday that Russia’s drone attack on Poland may have been intended to dissuade Western partners from providing Ukraine with air defense systems ahead of winter.
Speaking at a joint press conference with Finnish President Alexander Stubb in Kyiv, Zelenskyy said Moscow was also testing NATO’s political reaction and military readiness.
“In my view, the most terrible thing is that this attack is psychologically similar to Crimea,” Zelenskyy said. “Today, there is no need for so-called ‘little green men’ who simply entered your territory. Today it is a different war. In Poland, that same role was carried out by Russian-made drones.”
Zelenskyy said Ukraine has offered Poland assistance and training based on its experience repelling Russian strikes. He cautioned that expensive missile defense systems like Patriot or SAMP/T batteries are ill-suited for intercepting low-cost drones.
“A single Patriot missile costs about $2–3 million, while a strike drone costs about $100,000,” he said. “Only with a multi-system setup is it possible to counter a massive drone attack.”
Ukraine has developed layered defenses that combine mobile fire groups, interceptor drones, helicopters and aircraft, Zelenskyy said, stressing the need to build a “reliable, comprehensive and effective defense system for Europe.”
