Zelenskyy: Ukraine not short on air defence missiles, Russia deploys more

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that the country’s stock of air defence missiles has not decreased, but Russia has been deploying more missiles during attacks.

Speaking to journalists, Zelenskyy noted that Russian forces have increased the use of ballistic missiles, sourcing components for production in part through the private sectors of partner countries, Caliber.Az reports via Ukrainian media.

According to him, Russia has also stepped up the deployment of Shahed attack drones, while Ukraine responds by producing more interceptor drones and deploying mobile fire units, gradually mitigating the threat. For the latest Russian strike, Ukraine used air defence missiles worth approximately $80 million. 

Zelenskyy added that Ukraine produces 1,000 interceptor drones daily but faces a shortage of operators. He estimated that Russia is currently unable to launch 1,000 drones per day, with current capacity around 350 Shahed drones daily, though Ukraine is preparing for a worst-case scenario by scaling up interceptor drone production.

By Jeyhun Aghazada