By the end of the year, the Ukrainian equivalent of the Patriot system may perform its first interception

Provided there are no obstacles, the Ukrainian equivalent of the Patriot system could carry out its first interceptions of Russian ballistics by the end of the year. This was stated by Denys Shtilerman, co-founder and chief designer of the Ukrainian company Fire Point, during a meeting of the Verkhovna Rada Temporary Commission of Inquiry into possible violations of legislation in the defense sector, anti-corruption legislation, and the observance of rights and freedoms during martial law, reports a correspondent for UNN.

The question of the project's implementation timeline is very acute, but currently, any scandals—even media-driven ones—negatively impact its progress.

Answering the question of when the first launch of ballistic interceptor missiles might be possible, Shtilerman explained: "If everyone runs very fast, we will be able to make the first interception by the end of the year. But everyone needs to move very quickly, and any media scandal is a major hindrance. We have already lost an entire month writing to everyone and telling everyone that Mindich has no connection to us. We are very grateful to the NABU for providing a letter that satisfied our foreign partners, confirming there is no case against Fire Point or its owners."

He also said that as part of the implementation of the pan-European anti-ballistic shield (Project "Freya"), which will also utilize interceptor missiles FP-7.x, testing of prototypes is already underway. According to him, this is a cheaper alternative to the Patriot for shooting down ballistics. Currently, Germany, France, and Norway have openly confirmed their participation in this project.

According to Shtilerman, the appearance of information in the public space regarding the company's alleged involvement in corruption scandals significantly slows down project implementation processes, especially when it comes to cooperation with Western partners, as they are forced to react to this information and launch additional vetting. At the same time, Shtilerman emphasized that the company regularly undergoes inspections and audits, as required by cooperation with foreign companies and government funds.

As a reminder

Earlier, Shtilerman released an official response from the NABU regarding the company's status in criminal proceedings concerning the procurement of unmanned systems. The Bureau stated that no notices of suspicion were served to the managers or founders of Fire Point, and the company itself does not have the status of a legal entity against which criminal law measures can be applied.