According to the "Heavenly Shield" plan developed by military experts, European air forces consisting of 120 fighters could be deployed to protect the skies of Ukraine from Russian attacks. This will not provoke a broader conflict with Moscow, as the project is being developed separately from NATO. This is reported by the Guardian, as conveyed by UNN.
Details
According to media reports, the defense will cover three operational Ukrainian nuclear power plants, Odesa, and Lviv, but not the front line or the eastern part of the country - and, according to a recently published document, it could "achieve greater military, political, and socio-economic impact than 10,000 European ground troops."
Among the supporters of the project are Philip Breedlove, former U.S. Air Force General and Supreme Allied Commander of NATO in Europe, Richard Shirreff, former British Army General and Deputy Supreme Allied Commander of NATO in the early last decade, as well as former Polish President Aleksander Kwaśniewski.
"The implementation of the 'Heavenly Shield' would be an important component in strengthening Europe, effectively and efficiently guaranteeing the security of Ukraine," stated former Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis, who is also a supporter of the project.
Although proposal options have been discussed with no progress since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, a fresh version of the plan gained new momentum after a sharp meeting between Volodymyr Zelensky and U.S. President Donald Trump.
The publication notes that the "Heavenly Shield" was developed by former Russian Air Force planners who collaborated with the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and it was presented to European defense ministries. However, European leaders have not shown a genuine desire to sanction the patrolling of Ukrainian skies while the war continues. But the pace of developments in the last week means that ideas about protecting part of Ukraine's airspace may gain new resonance.
Concerns in Western political circles are raised by the risk that NATO member state fighters could find themselves directly in conflict with Russia, which could lead to an escalation of hostilities if an aircraft is attacked or shot down.
However, supporters of the program argue that the risk to the pilots of the "Heavenly Shield" is low, as Moscow has not dared to deploy its combat aircraft beyond the existing front line since the beginning of 2022. De facto, the separation from Russian aircraft will be over 200 km, according to the project's developers.
Recall
According to a review by the Institute for the Study of War, Russian troops are increasing the number and enhancing the effectiveness of drones and missiles to suppress Ukrainian air defense. The Russian army continues to improve its strike complexes and use a greater number of "Shahed" drones and decoys, trying to break through the Ukrainian air defense system. Russian forces are launching missiles from several different directions, as well as deploying 150 to 200 drones during a single night series of strikes.