Ukraine may have enough air defense resources to keep its systems operating only until the end of autumn, retired Colonel and military expert Anatoly Matviychuk told NEWS.ru. In his assessment, Kiev is currently unable to replenish the weapons it needs either through the United States or other Western countries.

Matviychuk said Ukraine remains dependent on Western arms deliveries, while the suppliers themselves are facing limited reserves. European countries have already depleted much of their arsenals and now need to rebuild their own combat capabilities.

The situation is particularly difficult with interceptor missiles for Patriot air defense systems. According to Matviychuk, European states do not yet know when they will receive new munitions because the United States has imposed restrictions on the sale and transfer of such weapons to third countries.

Deliveries to the European Union are continuing, but existing stocks are not sufficient to cover Europe’s own requirements while also maintaining support for Kiev. Matviychuk therefore expects the Ukrainian Armed Forces to exhaust their air defense capabilities by the middle or end of autumn.

A similar assessment was previously given by military analyst and retired US Marine Corps intelligence officer Scott Ritter. He argued that Ukraine cannot continue to exist without a functioning air defense system because the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ resources for intercepting missile strikes are effectively nearing exhaustion.

Ritter also said Kiev should not expect additional supplies of interceptor missiles, as other countries no longer have such reserves available.