Ukraine has called on the United States and its European allies to accelerate deliveries of interceptor missiles for Patriot air defence systems following a major Russian strike on Kyiv and the surrounding region.
According to the latest figures released by the Ukrainian authorities, at least 17 people were killed and more than 40 others injured. The attack once again exposed the country’s growing vulnerability to ballistic missiles strikes amid dwindling air defence stocks.
The Russian assault was carried out overnight on 5 August using ballistic and cruise missiles, as well as attack drones. Ukrainian officials said air defence forces managed to shoot down most of the drones but failed to intercept any of the missiles targeting the capital region. Kyiv attributes this primarily to a critical shortage of ammunition for US-made Patriot systems.
Warehouses, distribution centres and other logistics facilities were among the main targets. Large retail businesses, construction materials depots, food distribution centres and postal infrastructure were damaged or destroyed. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the affected sites included a brewery, a postal sorting centre and civilian warehouses unrelated to military operations.
Russia maintains that its forces target Ukrainian defence industry facilities, transport infrastructure and sites used to produce or store drones. Ukrainian authorities, however, accuse Moscow of systematically attacking the civilian economy, industrial facilities and supply chains.
Businesses in the Kyiv region suffered particularly heavy losses. Ukrainian home improvement retailer Epicentr K said two major logistics facilities and a production site had been destroyed. The Silpo supermarket chain said several employees had been killed and that fires had broken out at two distribution centres.
Regional authorities said at least 13 warehouses, a production facility, private homes and dozens of vehicles had been damaged.
Source: Reuters
For Ukraine, the consequences of such attacks extend far beyond the immediate destruction. Warehouses and distribution centres supply shops, construction sites and industrial enterprises. Their loss could disrupt supply chains, increase transport costs and place additional strain on an economy already operating under wartime conditions.
Deliveries fall to one-third of last year’s level
Zelenskyy said Ukraine had received only around one-third of the air defence missiles supplied by its allies in 2025. The shortage of PAC-3 interceptors for Patriot systems remains particularly acute.
Patriot is one of the few air defence systems currently operated by Ukraine that is capable of effectively intercepting Russian ballistic missiles.
The problem is not limited to political decisions. Production capacity also remains constrained. Demand for Patriot systems is high among the United States and its allies, while interceptor stockpiles have come under pressure because of several simultaneous conflicts.
Manufacturers are expanding production capacity, but a substantial increase in output will take time.
In late July, the US Army awarded Lockheed Martin a contract worth up to $58.6 billion to produce Patriot interceptors. Washington also signed agreements worth more than $3 billion with Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman to expand production of components for Patriot and THAAD systems.
Under current plans, manufacturing capacity for certain Patriot components is expected to triple. However, these measures are intended to deliver results over the medium term and cannot immediately resolve the shortage facing Kyiv.
Kyiv seeks domestic production
Ukraine is also attempting to reduce its dependence on irregular foreign deliveries by seeking permission to manufacture Patriot interceptors on its own territory.
In July, US President Donald Trump said Washington was prepared to grant Ukraine the necessary licence. Zelenskyy later said that a political agreement on the issue had already been reached.
However, translating a political agreement into large-scale production could take several years. Ukraine would need to establish production lines, acquire equipment and technology, train specialists and develop supply chains for critical components.
Ukrainian officials therefore stress that domestic production is a long-term strategic solution but cannot replace the urgent delivery of ready-made missiles.
Source: hromadske
According to Ukraine’s ambassador to the United States, Olha Stefanishyna, localising full-scale production could take up to five years.
Following the 5 August strike, Zelenskyy held talks with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. The Ukrainian president called for bureaucratic obstacles to be removed and for swift political decisions on the transfer of additional interceptor missiles.
Rutte said he was discussing the issue with NATO member states that possess the necessary stocks.
The North Korean factor
At the same time, Ukrainian military intelligence reported that a North Korean missile unit had begun deploying to western Russia.
According to Kyiv, the unit could be integrated into one of Russia’s missile brigades and may operate North Korean ballistic missiles in attacks against Ukraine. Moscow and Pyongyang have not publicly confirmed the report.
Russia has previously used North Korean KN-23 and KN-24 ballistic missiles during the war. In late July, Zelenskyy said one such missile may have been used in a strike that killed five members of the same family.
The renewed use of North Korean weapons may indicate that Russia has received fresh shipments of missiles and ammunition.
Reports of the possible deployment of a separate North Korean unit have heightened concerns in Kyiv that Moscow is preparing to intensify its missile campaign ahead of the autumn and winter.
For Ukraine, this means it must simultaneously protect the capital, energy infrastructure, ports, industrial facilities and other major cities with a limited number of air defence systems and interceptor missiles.
Following the 5 August attack, the central question is no longer simply whether Ukraine’s allies are prepared to express political support, but whether they can deliver additional interceptor missiles in the immediate future.
Emergency deliveries could help Kyiv withstand the next waves of missile attacks, while licensing agreements and new US production contracts are intended to establish a more stable supply system over the longer term.
For now, Ukraine remains in a situation where the number of Russian ballistic missiles used in a single attack may exceed the number of available interceptors.
That is why decisions by the United States and European NATO members on supplying additional Patriot interceptor missiles in the coming days will have direct consequences for the protection of Ukrainian cities and critical infrastructure.
rus By Tural Heybatov