Missile shortage: air defenses failed to intercept a single ballistic missile during the strike on Kyiv

Ukraine’s air defense did not shoot down a single ballistic missile among those heading toward Kyiv during the overnight attack. Air Force spokesperson Yuriy Ignat attributed this to a severe shortage of interceptor missiles for Patriot systems.

He made the statement on air during a telethon.

Overnight, Russian forces struck Ukraine using 419 aerial attack weapons. The main blow fell on Kyiv. The weapons employed included ballistic missiles, Kh-101 cruise missiles, Kalibr, Zircon, and Oniks missiles, as well as strike drones.

Air defense forces shot down 31 Kh-101 cruise missiles and six Kalibr missiles, along with hundreds of drones. According to preliminary data, Ukrainian defenses destroyed or suppressed 363 of the 419 aerial targets. At the same time, hits were recorded from 23 ballistic and six anti-ship missiles, as well as 18 strike drones at 34 locations. Debris from downed targets fell at another 16 locations.

Ignat explained that the result against cruise missiles that night was close to one hundred percent, while the figure for ballistic missiles was significantly worse. According to him, the Russians are deliberately making a bet on ballistic targets, since they are far harder to shoot down than cruise missiles or drones, and are exploiting precisely the shortage of interceptors.

“There is a certain serious shortage in Ukraine, there is a serious shortage in the world of interceptor missiles,” Ignat said.

The Air Force spokesperson also reported that ahead of the attack, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had publicly warned of the threat — both to Ukrainians and to the country’s partners.

“Ukraine’s president has already spoken publicly; he usually addresses both Ukrainians and partners — most importantly, the partners — before such massive strikes,” Ignat noted.

According to him, the head of state’s address specifically concerned the need for Patriot systems and missiles for them, and this issue had been discussed at the diplomatic level.

Following the overnight attack, the death toll in Kyiv rose sharply. The city’s mayor reported 11 killed and 46 injured, with destruction recorded across several districts of the capital. A search operation at the site of destroyed buildings is ongoing.