Ukraine’s supply of Western-made missile interceptors has dropped threefold this year, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Wednesday. That loss of capability has effectively left Kyiv unable to defend itself against Russian missile barrages.
“Unfortunately, supplies of anti-ballistic capabilities from partners have decreased significantly this year,” Zelenskyy said, adding that “the number of air defense missiles supplied has dropped threefold compared with 2025.”
The Ukrainian president said the shortage affected the entire first half of 2026, not just the summer months, and urged partner nations to release more interceptors from their stockpiles.
Russia launched 24 ballistic missiles and four anti-ship missiles into Ukraine overnight in a large-scale attack that primarily targeted the Kyiv region. At least 17 people were killed, and nearly 50 were injured in and around the capital city, local officials said.
Ukraine’s Air Force said none of the Russian missiles were shot down. That outcome has become increasingly common for Kyiv in recent months as its air defenders face depleted interceptor stocks.
Ukraine identified the ballistic missiles as the Iskander-M/S-400. The Center for Strategic Communications, a Ukrainian government operation, said that some of the missiles contained cluster warheads, which disperse smaller munitions over an area before impact.
Video footage shared on social media showed a series of explosions in Kyiv in brief succession — consistent with cluster munitions. Business Insider could not independently verify the footage. Russia’s defense ministry and its US embassy did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Russia has significantly ramped up its ballistic missile attacks against Ukraine this year, launching more than 120 attacks in July alone. A prominent Ukrainian defense advisor warned on Wednesday that the Russians could sustain this intensity for months.
Ukraine’s most reliable defense against Russian ballistic missiles is its US-made Patriot air defense systems, which use a range of proven interceptors, including the $4 million PAC-3 (Patriot Advanced Capability-3).
Ukrainian officials have said for years that Kyiv doesn’t have anywhere near enough Patriot interceptors, but the situation has grown more dire as Russia ramps up its attacks.
Zelenskyy said Wednesday that interceptors could have saved lives in the overnight bombardment. “It is very important that our partners understand that delays in supplying them, or an unwillingness to provide anti-ballistic systems, lead directly to such horrific casualties and destruction,” he wrote on social media.
Patriot interceptors are in high global demand as the war in Ukraine and conflicts in the Middle East demand around-the-clock air defense operations. The US and its allies have fired hundreds battling Iran since late February.
Ukraine is hopeful the US will grant a license to manufacture its own Patriot interceptors domestically, though President Donald Trump has not yet committed to the proposal despite initially agreeing to it.
Ukraine, meanwhile, is developing a pan-European air defense system that is designed to engage Russian ballistic missiles, but at a far lower cost than the Patriot.
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