Missiles are out: it became known about the lack of Patriot interceptors

Ukraine has exhausted its stock of interceptor missiles for American Patriot anti-aircraft missile systems, making it more vulnerable to Russian ballistic strikes.

This is reported by CNN, citing its own source.

The publication’s interlocutor claims that during the last Russian attack, almost all ballistic missiles could not be intercepted precisely due to the lack of the necessary ammunition.

This is about the shelling on the night of October 14, when Russian missiles hit three power plants in Kyiv and also attacked energy infrastructure in Kharkiv. That day, four people were killed in the capital and 25 were injured.

As the channel notes, this is likely not the first time that Ukraine has completely exhausted its stock of Patriot interceptor missiles. President Volodymyr Zelensky has been warning Western partners about their critical shortage for several months.

In August, during a conversation with CNN, the head of state stated that Ukraine had only a tenth of the required number of interceptors. At that time, journalists also visited Ukrainian military positions and saw Patriot launchers without missiles.

Zelensky later announced the prospect of obtaining a US license to manufacture Patriot missiles. However, the agreement was never implemented, and US President Donald Trump did not confirm his agreement to such a move.

Complicating matters is a global shortage of interceptors. Patriot missiles are expensive to produce, and their stockpiles in other countries have dwindled, in part because of the war with Iran.

At the same time, the shortage of ammunition has worsened amid disagreements between Kyiv and Washington over Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil infrastructure.

The Trump administration has warned Ukraine and European allies about the possible termination of intelligence sharing and American weapons purchases for Kyiv through the PURL mechanism if strikes on Russian energy facilities continue.

The suspension of the PURL program could jeopardize future supplies of Patriot interceptor missiles. At the same time, Trump assured that the United States had not stopped sharing intelligence with Ukraine.

The Economist previously reported on an acute shortage of Patriot and F-16 missiles . According to the publication, the Ukrainian military has almost exhausted its stock of PAC-3 interceptors, which are needed to counter ballistic threats.

In addition, Spain and Greece are in no hurry to transfer Patriot missiles to Ukraine , whose expiration date is approaching. According to The Telegraph, European partners are trying to convince these countries to provide Kyiv with existing ammunition.

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