Ukraine has completely run out of interceptor missiles for its US-made Patriot air defence systems, leaving the country more vulnerable to Russian missile attacks, according to a report.
uncertain
Ukraine → run → report
The reported shortage comes as Ukraine faces intensifying Russian strikes on its energy infrastructure and mounting uncertainty over continued US military support.
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Ukraine → report → support
Russian attacks on Tuesday night and Wednesday struck three power plants in Kyiv and damaged energy infrastructure in Kharkiv.
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attacks → strike → Kharkiv
Four people were killed and 25 injured in Kyiv, authorities said.
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authorities → kill → Kyiv
A source told the network that a lack of Patriot interceptors meant almost all ballistic missiles in the latest attack were not intercepted.
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missiles → tell → attack
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky had warned for months that interceptor stocks were reaching critical levels, saying in August that Kyiv possessed barely a tenth of the munitions needed.
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Kyiv → warn → munitions
The collapse in stocks follows a breakdown in relations between Kyiv and the White House.
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collapse → follow → Kyiv
The White House has repeatedly blamed global fuel inflation on the war in Ukraine, as Trump comes under increasing domestic pressure ahead of next month's US midterm elections.
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Trump → blame → elections
With diesel prices topping $6 a gallon, Trump demanded that Kyiv halt its long-range drone strikes against Russian oil refineries - claiming it is driving up prices.
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it → top → prices
When Zelensky refused, the Trump administration struck a deal directly with Moscow to supply 4.8 million metric tons of Russian diesel, sparking outrage in Kyiv.
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administration → refuse → Kyiv
Since, Zelensky has publicly condemned the agreement as a “betrayal” that directly bankrolls Moscow’s war effort, and announced that Ukraine would resume striking Russian refineries.
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Ukraine → condemn → refineries
Washington responded with immediate punitive measures.
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Washington → respond → measures
US authorities slowed Ukraine's frontline access to the Starlink satellite communications network, while the State Department and Pentagon warned Ukrainian commanders and NATO allies that continued refinery strikes would trigger a total freeze on US intelligence sharing.
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strikes → slow → sharing
Crucially, US officials also threatened to suspend European purchases of American arms through the Prioritised Ukraine Requirements List (PURL).
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officials → threaten → List
Blocking PURL prevents European nations from buying fresh Patriot interceptors for Kyiv, while Washington has simultaneously buried a promised license that would have allowed Ukraine to manufacture the missiles domestically.
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Ukraine → block → missiles
Speaking after Russia launched more than 850 attack drones and ballistic missiles in a single night, Zelensky said that the lack of air defences was straining Ukraine’s military.
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lack → speak → military
“The speed of our defensive capabilities is being artificially restricted,” Zelensky said, issuing a direct plea to Washington to release interceptor shipments.
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Zelensky → restrict → shipments
“The American president has all the effective and necessary tools to bring peace closer through strength, justice, and pressure on the aggressor.
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president → have → aggressor
We ask for additional packages of Patriot missile interceptors for Ukraine.”
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We → ask → Ukraine
Globally, nineteen countries operate Patriot systems, and demand has surged as wars in Ukraine and the Middle East have consumed missiles faster than industry can replace them.
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industry → operate → them
The US, the system's principal supplier, is also grappling with depleted inventories.
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US → grapple → inventories
In May, CSIS estimated that restoring American Patriot inventories to their pre-war levels would take at least three years under projected deliveries.
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restoring → estimate → deliveries
The Aporia
