Zelensky says Ukraine is running low on interceptors as Russian missiles hit Kyiv
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia’s latest missile attack on Kyiv landed while Ukraine was short of interceptors, as he pressed again for mo...
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia’s latest missile attack on Kyiv landed while Ukraine was short of interceptors, as he pressed again for more air defense support. The warning comes after another heavy Russian strike and amid a war that has entered its fourth year with no ceasefire in sight.
“We have no interceptors,” Zelensky said, according to remarks carried by Ukrainian outlets, underscoring Ukraine’s dependence on Western-supplied air defense systems to blunt ballistic missile attacks. The latest strike on the capital followed a pattern that has kept air raid sirens, explosions and shattered apartment blocks at the center of daily life in Kyiv.
Air defenses under strain
Zelensky said late last week that Ukraine’s priority remains securing more air defense missiles, especially interceptors for Patriot systems. He also said experts were still examining a missile used in a separate attack near Kryvyi Rih, where preliminary information suggested Russia had fired a North Korean ballistic missile at a family home in Radushne.
The Ukrainian leader said that would point to deeper military cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang. Ukraine has accused North Korea of supplying missiles and personnel to Russia. The claim has not been independently verified in the material provided, and Zelensky said further examination was under way.
Short. Sharp. Unforgiving.
War losses and wider pressure
In a separate interview with Fox News, Zelensky gave fresh figures for Ukraine’s losses since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022. He said about 50,000 Ukrainian service members have been killed and roughly 400,000 wounded, with a large number still missing in action.
He said he was hesitant to disclose detailed numbers because Moscow could use them to assess the state of Ukraine’s armed forces. “I don’t want to be very open about it because Russians will understand what’s going on with our army,” he said.
Zelensky’s latest estimate is lower than the figure he cited in February, when he said around 55,000 Ukrainian soldiers had been killed. In the same interview, he estimated Russia’s military losses at 1.6 million casualties, including about 700,000 killed.
Kyiv seeks more help abroad
The shortage of interceptors comes as Ukraine has emerged as a global player in military innovation and defense production, drawing interest from some of the world’s richest and most powerful countries, including the United States. A recent report said Ukraine has built its defense sector at astonishing speed and that even NATO members now look to Kyiv for military assistance in some areas.
That contrast is stark. Russia keeps firing. Ukraine keeps asking. And the next round of missile defense support will shape how much damage the capital can absorb the next time the warning systems light up over Kyiv.
