Kim believes that frontline regions are better prepared for attacks than those in the west

Vitalii Kim, Head of the Mykolaiv Regional State Administration. Photo: LB.ua

Vitalii Kim, head of the Mykolaiv Regional State Administration, stated that Ukraine’s western and rear regions may be less prepared for Russian shelling than frontline areas.

He made these remarks during a major expert discussion on critical infrastructure.

Vitalii Kim says that the effectiveness of air defence is increasing, but it is impossible to fully protect the country from attacks.

«A thousand Shahed drones are flying right now; over 900 are being shot down, so effectiveness is increasing. But it is impossible to give any guarantees about our future. Our critical infrastructure is still being hit. It is being repaired, urgently repaired, but not comprehensively. It is being hit, and there is a cumulative effect across the country every day,» he noted.

At the same time, the head of the Mykolaiv region suggested that in the future, Russian attacks may shift towards the western regions. He added that currently the Mykolaiv region is shooting down 90% of Russian UAVs, whereas in some rear regions this figure is no more than 20%.

«I predict that the attacks will head west next time, to areas that are less well-protected, where businesses have relocated. Because the frontline areas are already protected. I shoot down roughly 90% of what flies towards me, whilst the western regions shoot down 10 or 20%,» said Vitalii Kim.

It should be noted that over the past month, the number of daytime drone attacks on Mykolaiv has increased. Vitalii Kim reported that Russian troops are changing their tactics for drone attacks on Mykolaiv, deliberately targeting public facilities to provoke a reaction among the population.

Furthermore, Russian forces have begun to bypass the multi-layered air defence system, meaning that drones now have to be shot down directly over Mykolaiv and other cities.