Slovakia donates S-300 air defence system to Ukraine

Slovakia donates S-300 air defence system to Ukraine
A Slovak S-300 surface-to-air missile defence system.
By bne IntelliNews April 10, 2022

Slovakia has provided a Russian-made S-300 surface-to-air missile defence system to Ukraine to help it defend itself against Russia’s aggression, Slovak Prime Minister Eduard Heger said on Twitter.

“I would like to confirm that Slovakia has provided Ukraine with an air-defence system S-300. The Ukrainian nation is bravely defending its sovereign country and us too. It is our duty to help, not to stay put and be ignorant to the loss of human lives under Russia’s aggression,” he

Heger said the decision doesn't mean that Slovakia has become part of the armed conflict in Ukraine as Slovakia donated the system on the basis of Ukraine's request for assistance in self-defence under Article 51 of the UN Charter, following a direct consequence of Russia's armed aggression. He also assured the public that the country's defence capability remains in place.       

"This is a responsible decision by which Slovakia, as a country that supports peace, freedom and the protection of human rights, is providing assistance in the form of a purely defensive system to Ukraine and its innocent public, and we believe that this system will help to save as many innocent Ukrainians as possible from further aggression from Putin's regime," he was quoted by the Slovak News Agency as saying.

Foreign Affairs Minister Ivan Korcok stressed to the public that the S-300 is a defence system, unlike Russian offensive weapons. It doesn't endanger anyone. "At the same time, there can be no question that by providing the S-300 we've weakened our air defence, because these days we've gained a far more sophisticated air-defence system," said Korcok on his Facebook.

Defence Minister Jaroslav Nad announced that the air-defence system will be replaced by a fourth Patriot battery, provided by US allies, which should arrive in the country next week. "Four batteries of the top Patriot system in the most modern PAC 3 system version will replace the non-modernised S-300 system from 1987. I am extremely proud we have managed to negotiate this. It is a clear strengthening of Slovakia's defence," Nad said on Facebook.

Slovak President Zuzana Caputova approved the decision, stressing that by this move Slovakia is helping to reduce the number of civilian casualties of the tragic conflict. "The air-defence system protects cities and municipalities from attacks from the sky – from missiles, air strikes and shelling. If Russia is interested in what we see today in Bucha, Mariupol or Borodianka, it is right that we've helped defend Ukraine," said Caputova, according to the news agency. 

However, the decision to swap the S-300 for Patriots that Slovakia does not even own has been fiercely attacked by opposition parties, which argued that the decision left Slovakia vulnerable to attack itself, as well as potentially dragging it into the war.

The extra-parliamentary Voice-SD party of former PM Peter Pellegrini, which leads opinion polls, said via this step the government threatens Slovakia's defence capabilities. Thus the party requests  Nad´s explanation on the move, referring to Nad´s recent claim that Slovakia would supply the S-300 system only if an adequate replacement is secured.

According to Voice-SD, it's evident that the Patriot defence systems that have been set up in Slovakia do not fully substitute for the S-300. "This promise hasn't been kept yet, and the minister himself said recently that it might take months or even years [to acquire a replacement]," noted the party, as quoted by the news agency. 

Ex-premier Robert Fico, head of the opposition Smer-SD party and a big critic of the current government, said that Heger and Caputova are openly dragging Slovakia into the war in Ukraine. He also said that his party plans to submit a no-confidence motion in the government.

"Donating the multimillion S-300 air-defence system to Ukraine is an act of war with unimaginable consequences for Slovakia," Fico said on a social network, noting that the system protected Slovak nuclear power plants and industrial centres, according to the news agency.  

According to him, the S-300 system is more powerful and accurate than Patriot systems. "Caputova and Heger donated the only system in Slovak ownership to Ukraine, and as an alternative they accept imported American Patriots that we don't own and don't have the ability to operate," he stressed. 

Another extra-parliamentary Slovak National Party (SNS) called on Heger to consider resigning immediately, claiming that Heger is the first premier in Slovakia's history to threaten its security in an unprecedented manner. "This is the biggest fraud against the Slovak public that an official could commit. He allowed the S-300 anti-aircraft system to be exported to Ukraine. The S-300 system is worth several hundred million euros", SNS said, as quoted by the news agency.

Analyst Vladimir Bednar told the news agency that in his opinion Slovakia´s donation of the system to Ukraine doesn't endanger Slovakia's security. He said that thanks to the Patriot system, Slovakia´s air defence is currently at a much higher level than the country would be able to ensure on its own before.

"There is no need to understand the donation of this system to the Ukrainian side as a threat to Slovakia's security. The use of the S-300 system in Slovakia was limited in time by the technical life that was coming to an end," he was quoted by the news agency as saying. 

"It doesn't have to evoke only the ownership of the system. We don't know how the negotiations on ensuring the protection of the Slovak airspace developed. It's possible that this ensuring of the Slovak airspace will also go another way, for example by extending the presence of anti-aircraft missile systems operated by our allies," he added.

Meanwhile, the Czech media reported of shipments of short-range air-defence systems Strela-10 being sent to Ukraine. The shipment would come on top of earlier reports of the Czechs sending tanks and infantry fighting vehicles.

Prague has not officially confirmed sending any of the equipment but Czech officials made strong hints that the supplies did take place. 

Czech Defence Minister Jana Cernochova stopped just short of confirming the reports by saying on Twitter that “I understand those who want to find out what we supply [to Ukraine]. I'm sorry, I can't tell you more … Believe me, we're sending essential military material to Ukrainian friends. And we will continue to do so.”

 

 

News

Dismiss