Ukraine’s shortage of Patriot missiles has left Kyiv with few options to protect its citizens during another winter of escalating Russian air strikes. Moscow has ramped up production of ballistic missiles and jet-powered Shahed drones, allowing its forces to menace the population of Kyiv with a nearly continuous stream of deadly barrages and air raid alerts over the past several days. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he is focused on speeding up production of high-speed interceptors against Russia’s supercharged drones.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said a licensing deal with Ukraine to manufacture Patriot missiles is being negotiated but is not an immediate solution. Zelenskyy said Kyiv needs 300 missiles to survive the winter, representing about 5% of US Patriot stocks, though the US holds around 800 PAC-3 and several hundred PAC-2 missiles. NATO and EU countries are pressuring Spain and Greece to release Patriot reserves.

Over 80 people have been killed in air attacks on Kyiv and the surrounding region since August, the worst month since Russian forces retreated in April 2022. Zelenskyy warned commercial carriers to avoid Russian airspace and touted technological alternatives like SAMP/T systems and the domestic Freyja project, though the latter remains in planning. Ukraine’s Limas electronic warfare project has had success against Kinzhal missiles but is insufficient against Iskander threats.