President Volodymyr Zelensky has stated that in order to maintain stable protection against Russian ballistic strikes this coming winter, Ukraine needs to receive between 100 and 120 Patriot interceptor missiles per month.
The head of state said this in an interview with DW. According to him, Russia currently produces approximately 140 ballistic missiles per month. The NATO standard calls for a ratio of two interceptors per one ballistic missile, meaning that theoretically Ukraine would need around 280 Patriot missiles per month to shoot down the entire volume of Russian production.
According to Zelensky, receiving even 100 missiles per month is already a “massive challenge” for the current supply system. Potential sources of replenishment include US stockpiles or production capacity, an aid package from European partners, as well as agreements with Middle Eastern countries that Kyiv is currently negotiating.
According to the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine (HUR), the Russian defense industry produces approximately 55–60 9M723 ballistic missiles for Iskander-M systems per month, and up to 50 RM-48U missiles for S-300PM/S-400 systems per month. In addition, the adversary launches up to 60 aeroballistic Kinzhal missiles per year. Taken together, this gives intelligence grounds to assert that Russia is capable of employing up to 100 ballistic missiles per month without depleting its own stockpiles.
