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One Russian Strike Drained €80 Million Worth of Ukraine’s Air Defense Missiles, Zelenskyy Says
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![Photo of Ivan Khomenko]( "Photo of Ivan Khomenko")
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine spent approximately €80 million on air defense missiles on January 20 alone, underscoring the high financial cost of defending against intensified Russian missile and drone attacks.
Speaking to journalists, Zelenskyy explained that the recent large-scale Russian strike forced Ukraine to deploy an extensive number of interceptors, including those designed to counter ballistic missiles.
“We received the appropriate [missile] packages, and today’s attack by Russia cost us around €80 million — that’s just the cost of the air defense missiles,” he said.
CCTV footage shows PAC-3 missiles of the MIM-104 Patriot air defense system engaging Russian Iskander-M ballistic missiles over Kyiv. pic.twitter.com/H1HBLhKSdp
— OSINTWarfare (@OSINTWarfare) January 20, 2026
Zelenskyy emphasized that while Ukraine has not seen a decrease in its air defense missile stockpiles, Russia has sharply increased the number of missiles it uses in each attack.
According to the president, Russian forces are using significantly more ballistic missiles and continue to receive critical components through third-party countries and private firms.
“Unfortunately, they are still receiving components from partner countries and the private sector,” Zelenskyy noted. “Reducing their capacity to produce these missiles must become a priority — but that hasn’t happened yet.”
According to Zelenskyy, the only effective system against ballistic threats remains the US-made Patriot equipped with PAC-3 interceptors. He stressed that further air defense support from partners — especially the United States — is critical. “When it comes to ballistic missiles, the key is still in the hands of the United States,” he said.
The president also highlighted the importance of the Procurement and Urgent Requirements for Logistics (PURL) program, through which European partners procure American-made missiles for Ukraine. Continued operation of PURL and transatlantic coordination are essential to maintaining Ukrainian air defense capabilities.
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Zelenskyy warned that deteriorating relations between the US and European allies could disrupt future supplies of critical defense systems. “A lot depends on the unity between Europe and the United States when it comes to the safety of Ukrainian civilians,” he said.
While Ukraine continues to receive new air defense systems and has scaled up efforts to counter drone threats such as Iran-made Shahed drones, the president acknowledged that sustaining this defense is costly and logistically challenging. “It is very difficult to find these missiles and the money for them,” he added.
Asked about the reaction of US President Donald Trump to the latest Russian attacks, Zelenskyy stated that he had not yet spoken with him regarding the January 20 strikes. “We know the general reaction — that America and President Trump want to end this war — but we haven’t discussed the latest attack,” he said.
Earlier, Ukraine alerted the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to what it described as Russia’s preparations for a new large-scale strike on the country’s energy infrastructure, including facilities and power grids linked to nuclear power plants.
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-72b63a4e0c8c475ad81fe3eed3f63729.jpeg "Photo of Cyril Barabaltchouk")
