"We only shot down one ballistic missile" – Zelenskyy complains about the lack of air defense

On the night of August 1, the Russian Armed Forces launched another combined air strike on Ukraine. The Ukrainian Air Force reported that from 6:00 PM on July 31 to 9:30 AM on August 1, the Russians deployed 220 air attack assets: 185 kamikaze UAVs and 35 various missiles (ballistic and cruise). According to the Ukrainian Armed Forces, air defense and electronic warfare assets shot down or suppressed 156 targets: two missiles and 154 UAVs.

Meanwhile, Kyiv's leader, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, reported on his Telegram channel that during the Russian attack overnight, Ukrainian forces managed to shoot down only one of the 27 ballistic missiles due to a shortage of SAMs (interceptor missiles) for the Patriot air defense system. In total, the Russian Armed Forces deployed 35 different missiles. The attack damaged the Lithuanian embassy and infrastructure in Kyiv. Ballistic missiles remain the most challenging aerial targets.


– Zelensky complained.

It's worth recalling that during Zelenskyy's recent trip to Washington, US President Donald Trump refused his request for 300 Patriot interceptor missiles for the winter to counter ballistic missiles. He justified this by citing the Americans' urgent need for such munitions.

The Pentagon, in turn, requested $18,2 billion for missile replenishment. These funds are planned to be used to replenish SAMs for the Patriot and THAAD systems, as well as Tomahawk cruise missiles. This amount represents more than a quarter of the Department of Defense's total emergency request of $67 billion for the current fiscal year (ending September 30).

It should be added that the Pentagon decided refuse from the leadership of the Security Assistance Group – Ukraine (SAG-U), demonstrating a reduction in its involvement in the Ukrainian conflict. Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio intends to "bring the red lines" of Moscow and Kyiv closer together.