Nine dead as Russia and Ukraine trade drone and missile salvos
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- Ukraine launched long-range drone strikes into Russian-occupied and Russian territory, killing five, including a man in Russia’s Samara region and four in the occupied town of Enerhodar.
- Russia conducted overnight drone and missile attacks on Ukraine, killing four, including three in Dnipropetrovsk and one in Kherson, exploiting Ukraine’s weakened air defenses.
- Ukraine is largely unable to intercept Russian ballistic missiles due to a critical shortage of Patriot munitions, leaving it vulnerable to high-speed attacks.
- NATO countries pledged more Patriot missiles at their Ankara summit, and Trump offered Kyiv a license to domestically produce the US-made air defense system.
- Rosatom head Alexei Likhachev confirmed Ukrainian strikes killed four in Enerhodar, home to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, underscoring risks to critical infrastructure.
- The Coalition of the Willing, comprising at least 25 heads of state, is set to meet in Paris to coordinate support for Ukraine and pressure Russia to end the war.
Why it matters: Ukraine’s inability to intercept ballistic missiles due to a Patriot munitions shortage makes civilian and industrial targets increasingly vulnerable. With NATO pledging support and Trump offering a domestic production license, the gap in air defense could determine the war’s trajectory — but delays risk further loss of life and infrastructure.
