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Ukraine Has Completely Run Out of Patriot Interceptors, CNN Reports
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Ukraine has completely run out of interceptor missiles for its US-made Patriot air defense systems, according to a source familiar with the matter speaking to CNN on October 15.
The shortage leaves Ukraine increasingly vulnerable to incoming Russian ballistic missile strikes.
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The source told CNN that “almost all the ballistic missiles from the last strike were not intercepted due to lack of the (interceptor) missiles.”
During the attack overnight into October 14, Russian ballistic missiles struck three power plants in Kyiv alongside energy infrastructure in Kharkiv. The strikes in Kyiv killed 4 people and injured 25 others.
The US-supplied Patriot system remains one of the few weapons platforms capable of shooting down incoming ballistic missiles, CNN reported.
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This shortage marks another instance where Ukraine’s Patriot interceptor stockpiles have been entirely depleted. In mid-August, Ukrainian officials stated during a media visit to a local Patriot site that the country had virtually run out of available interceptor missiles.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has repeatedly warned for months about dwindling stocks of interceptor missiles, which remain costly and scarce worldwide as other nations exhaust their inventories or seek to reinforce their own defense capabilities amid the war in Iran.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that Ukraine and its European partners were actively developing a joint anti-ballistic missile system named "Freyja ," which could become operational within the next 12 months.
He emphasized the urgent need for a stronger, more independent European air shield, noting that while Ukraine was finalizing its proprietary interceptor missile, international partners possessed the advanced radar technologies and key components necessary to make the platform viable.
Zelenskyy warned that the global ballistic threat would continue to intensify due to deepening military cooperation between Russia, Iran, and North Korea, stating that Russia was placing its final bet on ballistic missile strikes against Ukrainian cities to break the population and deprive the country of its ability to defend itself.
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