Ukraine classifies missile interception data amid air defense failures

Ukraine’s Air Force has stopped publicly reporting statistics on the interception of Russian ballistic missiles. The decision was taken as a security measure amid growing pressure on the country’s air defense system.

Bloomberg reports this, citing a knowledgeable source.

The change in reporting format followed a devastating strike last week, when Ukrainian forces failed to intercept a single one of the 28 ballistic missiles fired at the country. On Tuesday, the Air Force reported the destruction of 98 out of 120 Russian drones launched overnight, but provided no data on the number of missiles fired or intercepted — despite the fact that Zaporizhzhia, Dnipropetrovsk region, and Kyiv were struck by more than a dozen ballistic missiles, including North Korean KN-23s.

According to Ivan Fedorov, head of the regional military administration, the strikes on Zaporizhzhia killed at least six civilians and wounded 20 more. President Volodymyr Zelensky said that a hospital and a number of businesses were damaged in the missile strike on Kyiv.

A rapid decline in interception rates

The scale of the problem facing Ukraine’s air defenses is striking. According to Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense, in July Ukrainian forces intercepted only 29 of 195 Russian ballistic missiles, while another 40 failed to reach their targets. On August 5, Zelensky stated that deliveries of missiles for air defense systems from allies in the first half of 2026 were three times lower than in the same period last year.

Major Robert “Magyar” Brovdi, commander of Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces, told the Associated Press that Russia is currently capable of launching a simultaneous salvo of approximately 77 ballistic missiles and is seeking to bring that number to 200.

“Even if they manage to reach only half that figure, all of it will come flying at us,” Brovdi said.

The fight for Patriot interceptors

Kyiv has been persistently pressing its NATO allies for Patriot interceptors — the only system in Ukraine’s arsenal capable of reliably shooting down ballistic missiles. According to an investigation published by Politico on Monday, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and Ukrainian officials have for months been privately pressing Greece, Spain, Poland, and other countries to hand over all of their available interceptors.

Greece did not respond to Ukraine’s July request to supply up to 200 older PAC-2 interceptors. Poland confirmed the transfer of several PAC-3 missiles following appeals from Rutte and senior American commanders — reportedly just five missiles in total, which triggered a wave of domestic political criticism.

Any resolution of the issue runs through Washington, as most PAC-3 interceptors are manufactured in the United States. President Donald Trump raised hopes at the recent NATO summit by suggesting that Ukraine could eventually produce Patriot interceptors under license, but subsequently abandoned the idea. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha stated Kyiv’s position in the starkest terms:

“We are literally fighting for every missile.”