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Russia's Missile and Drone Blitz Puts Kyiv on Edge Amid Patriot Shortage
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News18•29-09-2026, 15:45
Russia's Missile and Drone Blitz Puts Kyiv on Edge Amid Patriot Shortage
- •Russia launched ballistic missiles and jet-powered drones at Kyiv, aiming to overwhelm Ukrainian defenses and pressure the capital.
- •New jet-powered drones fly too fast and high for current Ukrainian ground-based air defenses, prompting Ukraine to develop faster interceptor drones.
- •Ukraine faces a critical shortage of US-made Patriot air defense interceptor missiles, the only reliable defense against Russia's ballistic attacks, exacerbated by low stockpiles due to the Iran war.
- •Russian strikes targeted data processing centers, drone and cruise missile storage facilities, an electrical substation, a drone manufacturing facility, and port infrastructure in Kyiv and Odesa.
- •The attacks wounded one person in Kyiv and eight in Odesa, damaging residential buildings, civilian infrastructure, a school, and an animal shelter; Ukraine retaliates with long-range drone strikes on Russian military and oil facilities.
Key Questions Answered
Russia's new jet-powered drones fly too fast and too high for Ukrainian ground-based air defences to successfully shoot down.
Patriot stockpiles are currently low largely because of the war in Iran, resulting in only small numbers being received by Ukraine this year.
The Russian Defence Ministry stated that its forces targeted data processing centres used by the Ukrainian military, drone and cruise missile storage facilities, an electrical substation, a drone manufacturing facility, and port infrastructure in Odesa.
