On a Wednesday night in August 2026, twenty-four Russian ballistic missiles crossed into Ukrainian airspace and none were stopped — seventeen people died, and a months-long crisis of dwindling Western interceptor supplies became impossible to ignore. Ukraine's ability to defend its skies against the weapons that kill most efficiently now depends on a chain of political decisions, industrial timelines, and alliance commitments that have not kept pace with the war's demands. President Zelenskyy has named the arithmetic plainly: Patriot interceptor deliveries have fallen to one-third of last year
NATO pledges urgent air defences as Ukraine struggles against Russian missile barrage
At least 17 people killed in Russian missile attack on Wednesday; ongoing civilian casualties from sustained Russian bombardment of energy infrastructure and civilian targets.