Ukrainian service members walk next to a launcher of a Patriot air defense system in an undisclosed location in Ukraine, August 4, 2024. (Valentyn Ogirenko/Reuters)
Russia’s mass air attacks on Ukrainian cities have recently been carried out by a mix of drones, cruise missiles, and ballistic missiles. To shoot down ballistic missiles takes interceptors, mainly those launched from Patriot surface-to-air systems. Ukraine has enough Patriot systems but has far too few PAC-3 interceptors, and this is taking a toll.
Ukraine’s ability to shoot down Russian ballistic missiles has deteriorated in recent large-scale attacks, a sign that Kyiv is lacking US-made Patriot interceptors to defend against strikes.
Ukraine failed to intercept any of the 23 Iskander-M ballistic missiles or the six high-speed Zircon and Oniks missiles launched by Russia in
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