Ukraine Shot Down Just One Ballistic Missile Overnight Because Patriot Interceptors Have Run Out — Zelenskyy
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine’s air defense was able to intercept only one of 27 ballistic missiles fired at the country overnight, directly attributing the gap to a shortage of interceptor missiles for Patriot systems, UATV English reports.
“These systems are not needed somewhere in warehouses for possible scenarios — they are needed here and now, so that Russia’s war can be deterred and stopped in Ukraine,” Zelenskyy wrote.
According to Ukraine’s Air Force, Russia launched 35 missiles and 185 attack drones overnight, of which Ukrainian forces downed just one ballistic missile, one guided air-launched missile, and 154 drones.
Zelenskyy said emergency crews were still working to clear the aftermath of the strikes in Kyiv and the surrounding region, with seven districts of the capital affected by fires.
“As usual, the Russians struck ordinary residential buildings,” Zelenskyy said, noting that the attack damaged 18 residential buildings, a school, the Lithuanian embassy, and infrastructure facilities.
He said nine people are known to have died in the attack, with dozens more wounded and receiving medical care.
“My condolences to their families and loved ones,” Zelenskyy said.
Kyiv was the primary target of the strike, though Dnipropetrovsk, Sumy, Kharkiv, and Poltava regions were also hit, according to Zelenskyy. He said the shortage of anti-ballistic interceptors is emboldening Russia to continue such attacks.
“This shortage of interceptors against ballistic missiles only encourages Russia to carry out these kinds of strikes against human life,” Zelenskyy said, urging partners to recognize that air defense systems are needed immediately rather than held in reserve. “Every package of anti-ballistic defense saves the lives of our people. And every night without it leads to casualties.”
He thanked those working to strengthen Ukraine’s air defenses.
The strike is the latest in a series of large-scale Russian attacks on Kyiv in recent days, with Ukrainian officials repeatedly warning that delays in Patriot interceptor deliveries have left the capital increasingly exposed to ballistic missile strikes.
Read also: Sybiha on the Hellish Night in Kyiv: Additional Air Defense Systems and Interceptors Urgently Needed
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9 of August 2026
