Ukraine faces critical depletion of Patriot interceptors, unable to repel ballistic missiles - CNN
Photo: Ukraine faces a severe shortage of Patriot interceptor missiles (Getty Images)
Ukraine lacks Patriot interceptors to defend against Russian air attacks. The latest massive ballistic strike was not repelled, reports CNN.
Ukraine runs out of Patriot missiles
Ukraine has run out of missiles for the US Patriot air defense system. This makes the country more vulnerable to Russian ballistic missile attacks, a CNN source reports.
The source stated that “almost all the ballistic missiles from the last strike were not intercepted due to lack of the (interceptor) missiles.”
During this attack on the night of October 14, Russian ballistic missiles hit three power plants in Kyiv and energy infrastructure in Kharkiv.
Four people were killed, and 25 were injured in Kyiv that day, CNN recalled.
Impact of the diesel deal
The shortage of Patriot missiles occurs against the backdrop of public friction between US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, CNN writes.
Earlier, Trump reached an agreement with Russian leader Vladimir Putin on the import of Russian diesel fuel and increased pressure on Ukraine to stop strikes on Russian oil refineries.
Months-long problem
For months, Zelenskyy has repeatedly warned that Ukraine is running out of US-made Patriot interceptor missiles.
However, they are expensive and in short supply worldwide, as other countries have depleted their stockpiles or wish to strengthen their own defense systems against the backdrop of the war in Iran.
It is believed that this is not the first time Ukraine has completely run out of Patriot interceptor missiles, and Zelenskyy has publicly fought to secure more of them.
In mid-August, Ukrainian officials already stated that the country had practically run out of interceptor missiles.
In August, Zelenskyy told CNN that Ukraine had only a tenth of the interceptor missiles it desperately needs.
A month later, the Ukrainian president sounded more optimistic, stating that the country would "receive a license to produce Patriot missiles" from the United States. However, the license has not yet been obtained.
Earlier, RBC-Ukraine reported that Greece and Spain refused to transfer Patriot surface-to-air missile system interceptors to Ukraine, despite the fact that some of them are nearing the end of their service life.
Furthermore, Zelenskyy stated that Ukraine is collecting missiles in small batches, one or two units at a time, directly from country leaders. According to him, only the US could provide such assistance on a large scale.
