Russia launched a massive overnight bombardment against Ukraine on Monday, killing at least 20 people in the Kyiv region and laying bare a worsening shortage of American-made air defense interceptors. The attack came just days before a NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, where President Donald Trump is scheduled to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Patriot stocks run dry
Ukraine's air force reported it was unable to intercept any of the 23 ballistic missiles Russia fired overnight. While Ukrainian defenses shot down 37 other missiles and more than 90% of the 351 drones launched, the failure against ballistic munitions reflects a depletion of prized Patriot system interceptors. Rescuers dug through the rubble of a Kyiv high-rise split open by the bombardment as officials warned the window for replenishing stocks is closing.
NATO summit backdrop
The strikes set the stage for the July 7-8 NATO summit in Ankara, where Trump is expected to push allies to increase defense spending and meet privately with Zelenskyy. Ukraine has secured contracts to buy more than 100 Patriot missiles through EU-backed loans, but deliveries have not arrived in time to stem recent losses.
Mounting civilian toll
Monday's attack follows the deadliest strike on Kyiv this year just days earlier, as Moscow shifts to ballistic weaponry that Ukrainian systems struggle to counter. Officials said the pattern of increasing civilian harm stems from Russian adaptations in strike packages that outpace Ukraine's ability to reload and retool its air defense network.