Trump diverted 20,000 anti-drone missiles meant for Ukraine to Middle East, says Zelenskyy

Zelenskyy said that Ukraine was facing serious problems with the Shaheds and other threats, and that they were fighting them and would find every tool to destroy them.

He noted that Ukraine had earlier agreed with former US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin on a separate project. According to Zelenskyy, that project was initiated under the previous US administration, during President Joe Biden's term in office.

"We counted on this project. 20,000, between us, 20,000 missiles, anti-Shahed missiles. It wasn't expensive, but it's special technology. So, we counted on these 20,000 missiles. Today in the morning, my Minister of Defense told me that the United States has moved it to the Middle East," Zelenskyy said.

Russian drone attacks

Since the start of the full-scale invasion, Russia has actively used Shahed-type attack drones to strike Ukrainian cities and infrastructure.

This makes it critically important for Ukraine to have effective systems to destroy the Shaheds. Recently, Russia has ramped up domestic production of these drones, leading to a rise in the scale of attacks.

On the night of June 6, Russia launched a massive drone and missile strike on Ukraine. The capital, Kyiv, was among the targets. Debris fell in several districts of the city.

In just one night, Russian forces used 407 attack drones.

For more details on the aftermath of that strike, read RBC-Ukraine's report.

The following night, Kharkiv suffered its most intense bombardment since the beginning of the full-scale war.

According to Mayor Ihor Terekhov, about 48 Shahed drones were launched at the city. The Regional Prosecutor's Office reported that Russia also used guided aerial bombs and missiles.

The strike damaged 18 apartment buildings, three of which suffered structural damage. Thirteen private homes were also hit.

Details on the aftermath of that attack are available in RBC-Ukraine's report.