Putin’s ‘illusion of victory:’ Russia ramps up missile attacks on Ukraine
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- Russia launched 376 missiles in July, the war's deadliest month since May 2022, plus nearly 5,000 long- and short-range drones and hundreds of gliding guided bombs that collapsed buildings in front-line areas.
- On July 24, three Russian missiles hit a Kyiv sports centre hosting a drone exhibition; air defenses downed only one due to interceptor shortages, killing 12 and wounding over 100, including 32-year-old border security officer Valentyna Savitska.
- Zelenskyy told CNN on August 12 that Ukraine has only a tenth of the interceptors it needs, and that 5–10% of the US Patriot stash would let Kyiv survive winter or destroy Russian ballistic missiles.
- The White House redirected Patriot interceptor supplies to Middle East allies after US-Israeli strikes on Iran; Lockheed Martin's Arkansas factory produces only ~50 PAC-2/PAC-3 interceptors monthly against Russia's up to 300 ballistic and cruise missiles.
- Russia pummeled Odesa port, nearly paralyzing grain, vegetable oil, and steel exports; Ukraine retaliated against Novorossiysk and occupied Sea of Azov ports, and Putin rejected a Kyiv-proposed Black Sea moratorium — pushing year-on-year wheat prices up 30% in early August.
- Analyst Volodymyr Fesenko said Putin harbors an "illusion" of victory by exploiting Ukraine's interceptor deficit; Moscow plans to scale attacks to 200 missiles per raid, per Ukraine's top drone commander Robert Brovdi.
Why it matters: Ukraine's Patriot shortage, worsened by US redirection to Middle East allies, leaves a stark arithmetic gap: Lockheed produces ~50 interceptors per month, Russia fires ~300 missiles per month. The July 24 Kyiv strike alone killed 12, and the Odesa blockade has pushed wheat prices up 30%, hitting Egypt, Lebanon, and Sudan.
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