Ukraine says no ballistic missiles intercepted in major overnight attack on Kyiv PHOTO

Ukraine's air defence systems failed to intercept any of the ballistic missiles launched at Kyiv during a large-scale overnight Russian attack, an Air Force spokesperson said, citing a shortage of interceptor missiles for Patriot air defence systems.

Speaking during a televised broadcast, Air Force spokesperson Yuriy Ignat said Russia launched 419 aerial weapons against Ukraine overnight, with Kyiv as the primary target. The attack included 68 missiles of various types and 351 attack drones, Caliber.Az reports via Ukrainian media.

According to the Ukrainian Air Force, air defences shot down 31 Kh-101 cruise missiles, six Kalibr cruise missiles and hundreds of drones. However, 23 ballistic missiles, six anti-ship missiles and 18 attack drones struck 34 locations, while debris from intercepted targets fell at 16 other sites.

Ignat said the inability to intercept the ballistic missiles was primarily due to a shortage of interceptor missiles for the U.S.-made Patriot air defence systems.

He said Russian forces were exploiting the shortage by relying more heavily on ballistic missiles, which are significantly more difficult to intercept than cruise missiles or drones.

According to Ignat, Ukraine's interception rate for cruise missiles during the attack was close to 100%, while the success rate against ballistic missiles was "significantly lower."

He added that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had warned ahead of the attack about the threat of intensified Russian missile strikes and had again appealed to international partners to provide additional Patriot systems and interceptor missiles.

By Sabina Mammadli