A barrage of Russian missile and drone strikes on Ukraine killed 17 people and wounded 44 overnight in the Kyiv region, the AP reported, citing social media posts from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
A separate AFP/Reuters report stated that the attack included 115 drones and 28 high-speed missiles, and Zelensky said 24 of them were ballistic missiles.
Su-27 Flanker Fighter from Russia. Image Credit: National Security Journal.
Su-27 Flanker from U.S. Air Force Museum. Image Credit: National Security Journal.
The attack struck warehouse facilities, possibly in retaliation for Ukraine’s recent wave of attacks on Wildberries facilities throughout Russia, although a railway station was also struck in the attacks.
The Need For Interceptors?
Ukraine was unable to intercept any of the incoming missiles overnight. And Zelensky, after the attack, used the situation to call for more interceptors, a topic that has been somewhat contentious with Washington in recent weeks.
“Ballistic missile interceptors could have saved the lives of those killed today,” Zelensky said in his social media post mourning the attack and those who were killed. “It is very important that our partners understand that delays in supplying them, or an unwillingness to provide anti-ballistic systems, lead directly to such horrific casualties and destruction.”
The Ukrainian leader went on to call for “new steps” from the G7, the European Union, and “everyone who supports the protection of life,” in addition to appealing for additional sanctions on Russia.
Zelensky had made a similar appeal last week after a previous bombardment of the Kyiv region by Russia, during which only one missile was successfully intercepted. The Ukrainian leader stated a few days later that Ukraine had run out of the interceptors altogether.
Additionally, on Wednesday, Zelensky stated, per Reuters, that allies have been supplying only a third of the air defense missiles to Ukraine, compared to 2025 levels.
He attributed this to the need for those allies to use such interceptors during this year’s war in the Middle East.
Serhii Beskrestnov, a defense adviser for Ukraine, told Reuters that he estimates Russia can launch up to 100 ballistic missiles per month, to fire at logistics hubs, warehouses and other Ukrainian targets.
“The war of attrition has entered its next phase,” Beskrestnov said on Telegram this week, per Reuters.
A Patriot Shortage
Ukraine has been asking Washington for more Patriot missile interceptors, weapons produced by American defense companies Lockheed Martin and Raytheon. In early July, during the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, President Donald Trump told Zelensky that Ukraine would be granted a license to produce Patriot interceptor missiles.
“I think they can produce them very quickly once we explain it,” Trump told Zelensky in Ankara, per the BBC. Trump also said that he had not yet informed Lockheed and Raytheon that he had agreed to grant that license.
During his visit to the U.S. at the end of July, Zelensky met with the president and executives from defense companies. He also told Axios that he had asked Trump for a “winter package” of Patriot interceptors to help Ukraine through the winter phase of the war, during which Russia is expected to launch a new winter offensive.
But as of the end of July, Trump appeared to have backed off the assurance he had given Zelensky in Ankara. At the Camp David cabinet meeting last Friday, Trump stated that he had not agreed to grant Ukraine a license.
That technology, Trump told reporters, is “a hard thing to give away,” although he did acknowledge that “we’re talking about it.”
Those comments followed a series of reports that the U.S. was running low on its ammunition stockpile, including Patriot and THAAD interceptors and other weapons. The U.S. recently announced a deal for new production of Patriot interceptors.
“Pressing Ahead”
At any rate, Reuters reported Wednesday that the U.S. is indeed “pressing ahead” with talks to allow Ukraine to produce Patriot interceptor missiles. Matthew Whitaker, the U.S. ambassador to NATO, is reportedly leading the push and visited Kyiv last month.
Multiple options are being considered, Reuters said, including building components in Ukraine and having them assembled in Germany as part of the U.S.-Europe Interceptor Program, or allowing Ukraine to build a cheaper version of the PAC-3 interceptor.
About the Author: Stephen Silver
Stephen Silver is an award-winning journalist, essayist, and film critic, and contributor to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Broad Street Review, and Splice Today. The co-founder of the Philadelphia Film Critics Circle, Stephen lives in suburban Philadelphia with his wife and two sons. For over a decade, Stephen has authored thousands of articles that focus on politics, national security, technology, and the economy. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) at @StephenSilver, and subscribe to his Substack newsletter.
