Russia is increasingly relying on ballistic missiles for its attacks on Ukraine — precisely the weapons that Ukraine's armed forces depend heavily on Western support to ward off.
However, the crucial US-produced Patriot interceptor missiles are often in short supply.
How urgently does Ukraine need new Patriot missiles?
Extremely urgently. While Ukraine has set up a well-functioning defense network against drones, its armed forces are reaching their limits when it comes to fending off Iskander-M ballistic missiles. One of the few weapons capable of countering such missiles is, above all, the Patriot system with its PAC-3 interceptor missiles.
At the beginning of August, it became evident once again how patchy Ukraine's air defense has become. During a Russian attack on August 1, Ukraine could only intercept one of 27 ballistic missiles fired. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said this was due to the fact that there were practically no more Patriot interceptor missiles left for the eight batteries stationed across Ukraine.
