Amid years of a grinding ground war in Ukraine, the battle is taking to the air with Russia, which is testing Ukraine air defenses for a further escalation, according to national security expert Fred Fleitz on Newsmax.
"Russia is testing the Ukrainian air defense system, which improved in 2023 and wants to see what it's capable of and how it can be overwhelmed," Fleitz told "Saturday Agenda." "I think this could be a prelude to a significant escalation in Russian attacks in Ukraine."
There has been an uptick in drone and missile strikes, including Ukraine hitting Russian targets it could not reach before, but the retaliatory exchanges pale in comparison to what could come in 2024, according to Fleitz.
"I see this as a series of retaliatory attacks," he told host Rob Astorino. "The Ukrainians launched a pretty successful attack on Russian ships in the Black Sea. The Russians responded with a massive missile and drone attack against Ukraine, and then Ukraine retaliates with these attacking targets in Russia, which it has been doing since May.
"This is a new tactic in 2023."
Russia is potentially getting drones and missiles from China as it might threaten an air war over Ukraine.
"I think the wild card here is why did Russia launch such an enormous drone and missile attack this week?" Fleitz asked. "And where is it getting the technology to do this? I think the technology is coming from China."
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Eric Mack ✉
Eric Mack has been a writer and editor at Newsmax since 2016. He is a 1998 Syracuse University journalism graduate and a New York Press Association award-winning writer.
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