KYIV, Ukraine — Ukraine’s air force announced Tuesday that its defenses successfully shot down five ballistic missiles fired by Russia during a series of overnight strikes, marking the first time in nearly two weeks the country claimed to have intercepted that type of weapon.
Ballistic missiles are significantly more difficult to intercept than drones or cruise missiles. Ukraine’s air defenses likely relied on the U.S.-made Patriot surface-to-air missile system — the most capable tool available for stopping ballistic missiles — though supplies of Patriot ammunition have been running low amid the ongoing conflict with Iran.
Despite the successful intercepts, other missiles and drones broke through the defenses and struck Kyiv. Mayor Vitali Klitschko reported that the attack ignited fires at two warehouses and also caused damage to a school in the capital.
Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed the strikes were aimed at facilities in Kyiv involved in producing long-range missiles and drones for Ukraine’s military.
In total, Ukraine’s air force reported that one ballistic missile and 25 drones struck 17 separate locations, with debris falling across an additional 10 locations.
Russia’s broader goal, analysts say, is to cut off Ukrainian attacks on oil infrastructure deep within Russian territory. Those strikes have triggered severe fuel shortages inside Russia, angering the public and, according to Western analysts, slowing the Russian military’s progress along the front lines.
With another winter approaching, Ukraine is urgently working to bolster its air defense network. Russian missiles have repeatedly targeted Ukraine’s power grid since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022.
In a significant development for Ukraine’s defense efforts, nine nations joined Ukraine on Monday in forming a coalition aimed at constructing a shared ballistic missile defense shield for Europe. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that within the next 12 months, Ukraine and its partners could jointly develop an affordable, mass-produced defense system.
Zelenskyy was still in Paris on Tuesday, where he attended France’s annual Bastille Day festivities.
At last week’s NATO summit, President Donald Trump announced that the U.S. would grant Ukraine a license to manufacture Patriot systems domestically. However, Patriots are costly, in high demand, and require years to produce — meaning any Ukrainian-built systems are still several years away from being operational.
Meanwhile, Ukraine continued its own long-range strikes against Russian targets, with oil facilities remaining a primary focus. In Russia’s southern Krasnodar region, a fire broke out at the Afipsky Oil Refinery following an attack, though local authorities said the blaze was eventually extinguished.
Unverified media reports also indicated that an oil refinery in the city of Salavat, located in the Bashkortostan region roughly 1,400 kilometers (about 900 miles) from the Ukrainian border, was struck. Bashkortostan’s leader, Radiy Khabirov, confirmed that an industrial area in Salavat had been attacked but did not identify the specific target.
Russia’s Defense Ministry stated that its own air defenses intercepted 288 Ukrainian drones overnight across multiple Russian regions, as well as over the annexed Crimea peninsula and the Azov and Black seas.
