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Ukraine Intercepts 90% of Aerial Targets but Faces Critical Shortage of Anti-Ballistic Missiles
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President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Ukraine’s air defense systems are active every day and destroy 90% of incoming targets. However, the country is experiencing a significant shortage of anti-ballistic missiles.
The President shared this information during a joint press conference with Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten on April 16.
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“Today our systems work every day, they work very well — 90% of targets are destroyed, but there is a large deficit with anti-ballistic missiles,” the head of state said.
The President noted that Ukraine uses interceptors, F-16 fighter jets, and air defense systems such as Patriot, Iris-T, and NASAMS to destroy these targets.
“For example, today our F-16s and other systems destroyed all cruise missiles. And more than 600 drones that we had. Not everything, but a very large percentage. But we have a problem with a deficit of anti-ballistic missiles,” Zelenskyy stated, adding that he discussed this matter with Jetten.
Zelenskyy explained that the Netherlands has helped with these missiles multiple times. However, Ukraine must speak about this every day because it is constantly under attack by ballistics.
Russian forces carried out two waves of combined attacks across Ukraine between 07:00 on April 15 and 07:00 on April 16. These attacks involved 703 aerial targets during Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Specifically, Russia launched 659 drones, including Shahed, Gerbera, and Italmas types, alongside 44 missiles. These included 19 Iskander-M/S-400 ballistic missiles, 20 Kh-101 cruise missiles, and 5 Iskander-K cruise missiles.
During the massive air assault on April 16, at least 16 people were killed and over 100 others were injured across the country. The highest number of casualties occurred in Odesa, where nine people lost their lives, while Kyiv and Dnipro each reported four fatalities. Among the victims in the capital was a 12-year-old boy.
Оn April 13 ukrainian forces successfully took control of a Russian position using only drones and ground-based robotic systems. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy shared that, for the first time in the history of the war, an enemy position was captured exclusively by unmanned platforms without the participation of infantry or any losses on the Ukrainian side.
The operation demonstrated the effectiveness of integrating high technology to replace soldiers in high-danger zones, ultimately saving lives during the mission.
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