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Ukraine’s air defences failed to intercept any of the 29 ballistic missiles launched by Russia during the attack overnight on 6 July, air force spokesperson Colonel Yurii Ihnat confirmed, saying the interception “success rate is low, to put it mildly.”
Ihnat stated bluntly that Ukraine does not have the means to counter Russia’s ballistic missiles.
“To shoot down ballistic missiles, you need the assets to do so. We have enough systems, but what we need is a steady supply of missiles.”
He also said that Moscow is aware of this shortage and “is exploiting the fact that Ukraine, and indeed the world, is facing a serious shortage of PAC-2 and PAC-3 interceptor missiles.”
“That is why it is increasingly focusing on ballistic missile strikes.”
Ihnat said Ukraine would continue to use every available diplomatic channel to strengthen the country’s air defence capabilities.
Ukraine’s ambassador to the EU, Vsevolod Chentsov, told Euronews’ flagship morning show “Europe Today” that the Kremlin is sending a clear message with its attack.
“Russia is sending its message that they want to continue this war,” he said.
“But definitely, both Ukraine and our allies will send our message back because war is going back to Russia. And Ukraine already has its answer, and we call it kinetic sanctions.”
Chentsov referred to Kyiv’s intensified mid- and long-range strikes into Russia and Moscow-occupied territories of Ukraine. But he admitted that apart from Kyiv’s strike campaign, which puts pressure on Russia’s war machine, Ukraine urgently needs anti-ballistic air defences.
This issue is expected to be discussed at the NATO summit in Ankara which starts on Tuesday.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Monday morning that it is “critically important that the world – first and foremost the United States and our European partners – come out of the NATO Summit in Ankara with strong decisions in support of Ukraine’s air defence, and thus the protection of ordinary people’s lives.”
“As long as Patriot missiles remain in our allies’ stockpiles, Russia is only encouraged to keep ‘vanquishing’ residential buildings. The United States and Europe have enough strength to stop this terror.”
The US-made Patriot system remains Ukraine’s only effective defence against ballistic missiles, but officials say supplies of interceptors have fallen critically low.
Manufactured in the US by Raytheon and Lockheed Martin, Patriots have been widely relied upon by US allies, not least in the Gulf, as well as by Ukraine. But the US and Israel’s war on Iran has depleted almost a third of the global stockpile of Patriot interceptors. According to some estimates, Gulf states have collectively fired more than 1,100 of them in the past few months.
According to Zelenskyy, Lockheed Martin produces roughly 600 interceptors a year, or about 60-65 per month.
Ukrainian officials say Russia is producing around 120 ballistic missiles monthly, alongside other systems, and has increasingly tailored its strikes to exploit gaps in Ukraine’s air defence, recently launching around 30 ballistic missiles in a single night
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