KIEV (Reuters) – President Volodymyr Zelenskiy warned in a speech aired on Saturday that Ukraine could run out of air defense missiles if Russia continues its intense long-range bombing campaign.
The Ukrainian leader’s starkest warning to date about the deteriorating situation faced by his country’s air defenses follows weeks of Russian attacks on the energy system, towns and cities using a vast arsenal of missiles and drones.
“If they continue to hit Ukraine every day as they have been doing for the last month, we may run out of missiles, and the partners know it,” Zelenskiy said in an interview broadcast on Ukrainian television.
He said Ukraine has enough air defense stockpiles to cope at the moment, but that it is already making difficult choices about what to protect.
He especially emphasized the need for Patriot air defense systems.
The sophisticated US air defense system has been crucial during Russian attacks with ballistic and hypersonic missiles that can hit targets in a matter of minutes.