Ukraine's Patriot Missile Stocks Run Dry as US Aid Wavers

Ukraine has exhausted its supply of Patriot interceptor missiles for its US-made air defence systems, leaving it more vulnerable to Russian ballistic missile attacks as Moscow intensifies strikes on critical energy infrastructure. A source told CNN that almost all ballistic missiles from the last strike were not intercepted due to the lack of interceptors. The shortage comes amid renewed Russian attacks, including an overnight strike on October 14 that hit three power plants in Kyiv and energy infrastructure in Kharkiv, killing four people and injuring 25. Ukrainian officials had warned in August that stocks were critically low, and a Washington Post report cited a Ukrainian official saying only 10 missiles remained as of October 7, with those subsequently used. The depletion is compounded by tensions between President Donald Trump and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy over US support, with Trump vacillating on military aid and declining to confirm a licence for Ukraine to manufacture the missiles. Manufacturing new interceptors can take up to 36 months, and Ukraine faces uncertainty over deliveries under the European-funded PURL programme, with winter approaching and attacks on power infrastructure likely to have severe civilian consequences.