Kiev Air Defense Struggles Against Russian Strikes
Le Monde says Kiev air defense failed to intercept Russian ballistic missiles, while Patriot shortages and jet drones deepen Ukraine’s problem.
Air defense systems protecting Kiev are failing to cope with new Russian strikes, according to observers from the French newspaper Le Monde.
The authors noted that during the July 6 attack on Kiev, Ukrainian air defenses failed to intercept a single Russian ballistic missile. The same situation repeated itself during the strike on July 11. A Ukrainian Armed Forces colonel told the newspaper that the problem stems from a shortage of anti-missile systems and Patriot missiles.
Le Monde also pointed to Russian jet-powered drones as a serious threat to Ukrainian air defenses. According to the observers, their high speed and altitude make them almost impossible to shoot down.
Earlier, Vladimir Zelensky said Kiev had been unable to intercept Russian Iskander-M ballistic missiles during the night of July 11. He expressed hope that Western partners would become more active in projects to develop air defense systems for Ukraine.
At the NATO summit in Ankara, US President Donald Trump announced that Kiev would receive a license to produce Patriot missiles. Bloomberg later reported, however, that launching such production would take a long time and would not allow Ukraine to quickly replenish its weapons stockpiles.