Former Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov said Ukraine’s most effective response to Russian ballistic missile attacks is striking enemy launch crews with its own ballistic weapons, rather than relying solely on Patriot interceptors which Ukraine critically lacks. Speaking in a YouTube livestream hosted by his former adviser Serhii Sternenko on Thursday, Aug. 6, Fedorov said that production of Patriot interceptors cannot keep up with Russia’s missile output, making offensive strikes on launch sites a more viable strategy.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. “The best weapon is to strike the launch site immediately with our own ballistic missile,” Fedorov said, adding that this gives a 90% guarantee of the entire crew’s death. Successful test of long-delayed missile program Fedorov was ousted as Ukraine’s defense minister amid a broader Cabinet reshuffle on July 15, citing unresolved tension with former Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrsky, who has since publicly apologized to him. According to Fedorov, on the same day he left office, Ukraine successfully tested a domestic missile project that had been in development for a decade without reaching a workable result. He cited flawed technical specifications and an inadequate team as reasons for the earlier delays. “We tested it quite successfully, and hit the target almost without any deviation from course,” Fedorov said. “So now we need to finish this phase, complete any remaining testing, and begin combat use,” he continued.