Volodymyr Zelenskyy has blamed allies for not delivering air defences fast enough after Ukraine failed to shoot down a single Russian missile in a deadly overnight attack that killed at least 17 people and injured dozens more.
Preliminary data from the Ukrainian air force showed its defences shot down 98 of the 115 drones fired by Russia overnight, but no ballistic missiles.
“Ballistic missile interceptors could have saved the lives of those killed today,” the Ukrainian president said on social media.
“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.”
There is a global shortage of US-made Patriot interceptor missiles after demand soared with the Ukraine and Iran wars. Supplies of air defence missiles for Ukraine in the first half of this year fell to a third of their 2025 level, Zelenskyy said.
Kyiv has been pleading for months for more Patriot interceptors while under intensifying attack. Last month Donald Trump suggested the US might grant Ukraine a licence to manufacture Patriots, but later he appeared to backtrack, telling reporters the underlying technology was “a hard thing to give away”.
