Opinion column published on 14 May 2014 in Le Monde, under the title " Il faut procurer d'urgence à l’Ukraine les moyens de fermer le ciel ukrainien aux missiles russes " [Let’s give Ukraine the means to close its sky to Russian missiles]
Since the beginning of the year, more than 4,000 long-range drones and almost as many ballistic and cruise missiles have hit Ukraine’s population, civilian buildings (hospitals, schools, universities, apartment blocks) and economic and energy infrastructure. These destructive bombardments are not targeting Ukrainian military positions. Russia's main objective is to terrorise the population, shatter social cohesion and cause Ukraine's economic collapse, by threatening and disrupting every moment of daily life, interrupting water and energy supplies, levelling hospital and educational facilities and devastating the country's industrial installations.
Taking the power grid as an example, over 60% of the country's electricity production capacity has been destroyed since the start of the invasion. In one month, this represents a loss of 6 gigawatts, equivalent to the consumption of 12% of the population. Vladimir Putin's objective is obviously the total paralysis of the Ukrainian energy system in the winter of 2024-2025. Russian bombing tactics also exhibit a perverse sophistication in the terror imposed on civilians, with a second strike launched a few minutes after the first, to target the rescue teams dispatched on site. The aim of these terrorist practices is to force Ukraine to capitulate, by trying to convince its allies of its inevitable defeat, with the help of the Kremlin's shills in Europe and the United States.
We must stand firm and resolute in the face of Putin's obsession and demonstrate that we are equal to the existential stakes of this war. We have delayed far too long in delivering the weaponry that Ukrainian fighters need, in particular that which would enable Ukraine to protect civilians from deadly air attacks. We all remember the thwarting of the recent Iranian air attack on Israel, which used four times as many vectors in one night as Russia does in a day.
Despite the difference in the size of the territories to be covered, if protecting the skies is technically possible in the Middle East, it could be in Ukraine. Above all, it requires the political determination of our governments. At a time when the Ukrainian front is running out of shells, the rear, i.e. the towns and industrial sites, are cruelly lacking in anti-aircraft defence resources.
Joining the effort to close the sky
However, if the European states coordinate and pool their resources, these defensive weapons are available. This is particularly true of batteries of long-range surface-to-air missiles (80 to 160 kilometres) such as the American Patriot or the Franco-Italian SAMP/T-Mamba, capable of destroying the Russian ballistic missiles that Ukraine is no longer able to stop. In addition to the batteries, there are of course the interceptors, but also the crucial long-range air surveillance radars (250 kilometres) designed to detect and track aircraft, missiles and drones.
This is the package that Ukraine urgently needs in order to close the Ukrainian skies to Russian missiles. As the world's second largest arms exporter, France is particularly well placed to contribute to this effort: we could supply at least one battery of SAMP/T-Mamba and the Aster 30 missiles they use, as well as two Thales GM 200 radars. Let's start by delivering this equipment, which can be supplemented as and when it is produced, and let's give priority to Ukraine in our exports.
Finally, there is another lesson to be drawn from the failure of the Iranian assault on Israel: in combination with air defence weapons, the role of the allied air force was decisive. The weakness of the Ukrainian air force is therefore a key issue. Admittedly, Ukraine will receive a limited number of F-16 fighter jets this year. but here again, France has a role to play, by speeding up the training of Ukrainian pilots on our Mirage 2000s and starting it on our Rafales - their performance is superior to that of the F-16s.
A more ambitious approach
Above all, the situation calls for a change in our military doctrine without delay, so that we can take measures to protect the skies over Ukraine. France and Ukraine's allies in Romania, Bulgaria and Poland have substantial ground-to-air and airborne resources. At the very least, these could be mobilised to intercept missiles that graze or cross the borders of the European Union.
But we could be more ambitious: a coalition made up of allies of the Ukrainian army could use the resources at our disposal to detect Russian missiles in flight, thanks to airborne detection and command systems, and to destroy them using air-to-air missiles [fired in flight from an aircraft] from French and allied fighters or our air defence batteries.
The cover which could be provided, for example, by the Polish air force in Lviv or by the French one in Odessa would support the economy of these regions and relieve the Ukrainian defence. Establishing an air protection zone does not require intercepting the Russian aircraft themselves. As with the recent American response to Iranian bombing, such a defensive operation would not constitute a declaration of war on Russia.
At a time when the United States is finally releasing the funds needed for the military aid that Ukraine has been waiting for for six months, the European Union must not slow down but, on the contrary, step up its efforts. We must understand that we, the citizens of Europe, are at a turning point in our history. Our effective mobilisation is essential to the survival of a world governed by rules common to all and not by the brutal force of a few dictators.
Premiers signataires :
Galia Ackerman, historienne, rédactrice en chef de « Desk Russie » ;
Guillaume Ancel, ancien officier et chroniqueur ;
Gilles Chevalier, contrôleur général des armées ;
Vincent Desportes, général de l’armée de terre ;
Jonathan Littell, écrivain ;
Pierre Raiman, historien, fondateur de l’association Pour l’Ukraine, pour leur liberté et la nôtre ! ;
Sylvie Rollet, professeure émérite des universités, présidente de Pour l’Ukraine, pour leur liberté et la nôtre ! ;
Nicolas Tenzer, enseignant à Sciences Po, senior fellow au Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA) ; Xavier Tytelman, consultant en défense ;
Michel Yakovleff, général de l’armée de terre (2S).
Autres signataires de la tribune :
Gérard Bensussan, philosophe, professeur émérite des universités
Sophie Bouchet-Petersen, ancienne conseillère d'Etat, secrétaire générale d'Ukraine CombArt
Jean-Loup Bourget, professeur émérite d'études cinématographiques à l'Ecole normale supérieure
Patrick Chevallereau, Vice-amiral 2S
Catherine Coquio, universitaire
Melodie Combot, maître de conférences (Université d'Amiens)
Didier Coureau, professeur des Universités en études cinématographiques
Paul Cruz, Candidat aux élections européennes sur la liste Parti socialiste-Place publique, chercheur en sciences politiques
Louis Daubresse, docteur en sciences humaines et sociales
Clément Fortin, candidat du Parti Pirate aux Européennes 2024
Youcef Guellil, coadministrateur de l'Association franco-Ukrainienne Volya basée à Nantes
Luba Jurgenson, traductrice, professeure de littérature russe
André Klarsfeld, secrétaire de l'association "Pour l'Ukraine, pour leur liberté et la nôtre !"
Catherine Hatinguais, traductrice
Yan de Keroguen, rédacteur en chef de place-publique.fr
Bertrand Lambolez, directeur de recherche INSERM
Nicole Lapierre, directrice de recherche émérite au CNRS, membre d'Ukraine CombArt
Patrick Legrain, dirigeant associé
Françoise Létoublon, professeur émérite à l'université Grenoble Alpes
Arnaud Levy, responsable de communication
Sylvie Lindeperg, historienne, professeure à l'université Panthéon-Sorbonne
Océane Lagleyze, auteur d’un mémoire universitaire sur les droits de l’enfant au cours de la guerre en Ukraine
Michel Mansoux, maire de Luzarches (95)
Pierre Marconnet, officier de réserve honoraire de l'armée de terre
Damien Marguet, maître de conférences en études cinématographiques, Université Paris 8
Anne Marleix, cheffe d'entreprise
Jean-Paul Marleix, photographe
Viktoriia Michniewicz, présidente Mriya Ukraine
Christiane Mornettas, association Champagne-Ukraine-Amitié
Florent Murer, président Kalyna
Alexis Nuselovici, professeur, Aix-Marseille Université
Frédéric Orain, adjoint au maire de Blois, candidat aux Européennes sur la liste de Glucksmann
Patrick Puges, polytechnicien
Natacha Rajakovic, politologue, expert en communication et relations internationales
Dominique Rebaud, chorégraphe, membre d'Ukraine CombArt
Marie Rebaud, trésorière de l'association Ukraine CombArt
Frédéric Robin, Association Ukr'Ngo
Charlotte Tourres, monteuse
Dominique Varma, auteure-réalisatrice
Emmanuel Wallon, professeur émérite de sociologie politique à l’Université Paris Nanterre
Signatures citoyennes :
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