Ukraine seeks more US Patriot interceptors as bomb shelter probe deepens

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy renewed his entreaty for U.S.-made Patriot rocket interceptors aft an overnight Russian rocket and drone barrage connected Kyiv killed astatine slightest 10 radical and injured dozens more, Ukrainian officials said Aug. 1.

"The satellite has Patriot missiles. What matters present is for our partners to marque the governmental determination to supply the indispensable packages. The United States knows what we need. Europe knows what we need," Zelenskyy said successful a video connection shared connected X.

"Anti-ballistic missiles indispensable support radical – not beryllium successful stockpiles," helium added.

Zelenskyy's entreaty came arsenic a erstwhile Ukrainian authorities authoritative told Fox News Digital that Ukraine's civilian extortion situation extends acold beyond aerial defenses, describing "scandalous situations" amid a widening weaponry structure probe that has allegedly exposed deficiencies contempt billions spent connected operation and repairs.

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A Patriot strategy received by Ukraine is seen connected the Day of Ukrainian Air Force connected August 4, 2024.  (Vitalii Nosach/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images)

Ukraine's capital, Kyiv, is besides auditing its structure spending, according to section reports.

"It's not imaginable to support begging for missiles each the time. This is not however 1 protects the population," ex-Ukrainian authorities spokesperson Luliia Mendel said. "Zelenskyy is shifting work onto the United States and Western partners for the deficiency of extortion wrong Ukraine."

Mendel went connected to picture however Ukrainians person been saying they are drafting their "anti-drone curtains" and closing their "anti-missile windows" simply to exemplify that their endurance depends much connected luck than connected systematic extortion from the state.

"Scandalous situations support arising," she said, "where radical person nary accidental to instrumentality cover."

"Many inactive deficiency shelters adjacent capable to scope rapidly each clip information strikes," Mendel added.

Ukraine and Finland launched the Civil Protection Shelter Coalition successful May 2025 to assistance instrumentality Ukraine's civilian defence strategy done 2034.

At the coalition's inaugural gathering connected Nov. 27, members pledged much than 22 cardinal euros (about $25 cardinal astatine the time) to enactment weaponry structure operation and modernization.

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People prevarication connected mattresses successful the underground parking batch of a edifice that has been turned into a weaponry structure during an aerial raid alert successful Kyiv, Ukraine, Sunday, Feb. 27, 2022.  (Vadim Ghirda/AP Photo)

Ukraine's Human Rights Commissioner, Dmytro Lubinets, said successful June that his bureau inspected 1,066 weaponry shelters nationwide and recovered deficiencies successful 93% of them, according to The Ukrainian Week.

Some were locked, flooded oregon different unusable, portion others were inaccessible to radical with disabilities, the outlet reported.

Prime Minister Sergii Koretskyi ordered a nationwide inspection of civilian defence shelters connected July 30 aft a large Russian rocket attack, pursuing reports that immoderate civilians were incapable to entree shelters during the assault. 

According to Reuters, Kyiv has spent billions of hryvnias connected weaponry shelters since Russia's full-scale penetration successful 2022. 

Mayor Vitali Klitschko said the metropolis allocated much than 1.1 cardinal hryvnias (about $26 million) for structure repairs successful 2026, aft spending astir 7 cardinal hryvnias from 2022 done 2025.

On July 10, helium ordered an audit of however territory administrations utilized those funds.

Some radical person been sheltering successful bathrooms oregon corridors, offering small to nary extortion from a nonstop hit. Others relocate to basements, risking being buried nether rubble, Reuters reported.

One pistillate said she was denied introduction to a structure due to the fact that of her dog, portion different said she has to rent a edifice country to entree its shelter. Many others edifice to sleeping successful underground parking garages, the outlet reported.

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People instrumentality structure wrong an overcrowded metro presumption during a Russian rocket and drone strike, amid Russia's onslaught connected Ukraine, successful Kyiv, Ukraine July 30, 2026. (Alina Smutko/REUTERS)

"Thousands of shelters neglect to conscionable basal standards, and mandatory evacuations from dozens of villages and towns successful the front-line regions are being announced connected a regular ground arsenic Russia expands its occurrence control," Mendel explained.

"Ukraine's civilian colonisation is mostly unprotected, not solely due to the fact that of shortages of missiles, but due to the fact that of the lack of immoderate broad strategy that would springiness radical reliable places to structure and the means to survive."

Zelenskyy told Axios connected July 29 that helium had asked Trump for an exigency shipment of astir 300 Patriot interceptors up of winter, saying Ukraine "needed the Patriots yesterday" and informing that producing them domestically could instrumentality 1 to 5 years.

"I'm not definite that 300 Patriot missiles would beryllium helpful," Mendel said. "Russia has besides intensified its usage of guided aerial bombs crossed the front-line regions, from bluish Sumy to confederate Kherson, expanding its occurrence control. No rocket strategy tin halt that."

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Smoke rises implicit Kyiv pursuing a Russian rocket and drone onslaught that struck aggregate districts of the Ukrainian superior connected July 8, 2026. (East2West news)

Mendel warned that without a broad overhaul of Ukraine’s civilian defence system, the state faces an progressively dire humanitarian situation.

"Zelenskyy and his authorities are already informing that the wintertime volition beryllium adjacent harsher than the past one, preparing the nationalist for a humanitarian catastrophe," Mendel said. "But Ukraine has not designed a strategy that would beryllium capable to support its population. Zelenskyy volition proceed demanding much enactment and missiles portion shifting responsibility."

During a caller quality connected Fox News’ "Hannity," Zelenskyy said Trump had "accepted that helium volition springiness america licenses" to nutrient the interceptors successful Ukraine.

Trump aboriginal said nary statement had been reached and that the medication was inactive discussing the proposal.

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"I don't deliberation this would ever happen, but, you know, there's radical that, you springiness that technology, they tin someday crook connected you," Trump told reporters astatine Camp David connected July 31.

"So we person to beryllium precise careful," helium warned.