Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky‘s confirmation of Ukraine’s crippling Patriot interceptor missile shortage and plea for more has showcased the dire position the country is in as it stares down another harsh winter.Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and particularly after Moscow switched to an attritional military model in September 2022, Ukraine’s cities have struggled against a large-scale missile and drone campaign targeting key strategic targets throughout the country. For the first four years of the campaign, Ukraine was able to consistently shoot down a sizable share of Russia’s drones and missiles, first with its legacy Soviet air defense network, then through the large-scale supply of Patriot and other Western missile defense systems.Four and a half years into the war, Russia has finally definitively seized the upper hand in the race between offensive and interceptor missiles, almost fully depleting Ukraine’s interceptor stockpiles. July 6 marked a grim milestone for Ukraine, as the first day in which it failed to intercept any ballistic missiles. Moscow has also shifted its production to ballistic missiles in recent months, which are impossible for most air defense systems to intercept and exceedingly difficult for U.S. Patriots.