Ukraine Faces Critical Shortage of Patriot Missiles, Engineer Says

A dire shortage of Patriot missile interceptors is leaving Ukraine critically exposed to Russian aerial attacks, with a top engineer on the ground describing the situation as "heartbreaking."

CNN was granted access to a Patriot system in Ukraine, highlighting the severe depletion of its missile stocks. The system's chief engineer, identified only as Dmitro, stated that he has not seen a Patriot system operational in the last six weeks, despite the visible wear and tear on the equipment, indicating its regular use.

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This is truly a heartbreaking sight when you have the equipment, but you cannot intercept any missiles. Ballistic missiles are flying over your head, and you can do nothing to stop them, and behind you are civilians.

Ukraine has not disclosed its remaining missile inventory, but President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has previously stated that the country requires 5% of U.S. stockpiles to endure the winter. Currently, Ukraine possesses only 1% of what it needs. "This is truly a heartbreaking sight when you have the equipment, but you cannot intercept any missiles. Ballistic missiles are flying over your head, and you can do nothing to stop them, and behind you are civilians," Dmitro told CNN.

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It's hard to describe – they are very strong and heavy feelings. You learn to walk, but you cannot walk. You know how to breathe, but you cannot breathe.

The global scarcity of Patriot missiles, a rare system capable of intercepting ballistic missiles, has been intensified by their extensive deployment in the Persian Gulf region to counter Iranian attacks. Dmitro noted that the simultaneous launch of numerous missiles by adversaries, including those that could have been used against Russian ballistic threats, was shocking and contributed to the current predicament.

Dmitro described the feeling of having no missiles as difficult to articulate, comparing it to knowing how to breathe but being unable to, or knowing how to walk but being unable to move. This lack of defensive capability leaves Ukrainian civilians vulnerable to Moscow's nightly assaults.

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We predicted that we would get into trouble. We were very shocked by how many missiles they launched at once... precisely the same missiles that we could have used against Russian ballistic missiles.