Phil Stewart and Idris Ali

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A Russian wave of missile strikes on Ukraine is aimed at depleting Kyiv’s air defenses and ultimately achieving dominance of the country’s skies, a senior Pentagon official said Saturday.

Last week, Russia launched missile strikes on Ukrainian cities in one of the most massive waves of airstrikes since Moscow launched a war against the country nearly nine months ago.

Ukraine says the attacks have paralyzed nearly half of the country’s power grid, potentially leading to a humanitarian catastrophe as winter approaches.

Colin Kahl, the Pentagon’s chief political adviser, warned that Moscow also hopes to deplete Ukraine’s air defense system, which has so far prevented the Russian military from establishing dominance in the skies over Ukraine.

“They are really trying to suppress and deplete the Ukrainian air defense systems,” Kahl told reporters during a trip to the Middle East.

“We know what the Russian theory of victory is and we are committed to making sure it doesn’t work by ensuring the Ukrainians get what they need to keep their air defense system viable.”

After the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, Western military experts expected that the Russian military would immediately try to destroy the Ukrainian air force and air defense. It is a key element of modern military strategy to better support advancing ground forces.

Instead, Ukrainian forces, using surface-to-air missiles and other air defenses, were able to counter Russian aircraft, and Ukraine’s skies remain contested to this day.

This critical early Russian failure became the centerpiece of Moscow’s problems in Ukraine.

“I think one of the things that probably surprised the Russians the most is the resilience of Ukrainian air defenses since the start of this conflict,” Kahl said.

“This is largely due to the ingenuity and intelligence of the Ukrainians themselves in maintaining the viability of their air defense systems. But also because the United States and other allies and partners have provided tremendous support,” he said.

Last week, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin focused on air defense supplies for Ukraine in an online meeting he hosted at the Pentagon. Ukraine’s allies have supplied everything from obsolete Soviet-era systems to more modern Western systems.

For the US, this includes the recently delivered NASAMS US air defense systems, which, according to the Pentagon, have so far had a 100 percent success rate in intercepting Russian missiles in Ukraine.

“We are moving Ukrainians to NATO standard equipment in all sectors,” Kahl said.

The United States has provided Ukraine with more than 1,400 Stinger anti-aircraft systems, as well as anti-artillery and air reconnaissance radars.