The Ukrainian military has for the first time given CNN journalists access to the Patriot air defense system on the territory of the country to demonstrate a critical problem — Ukraine has practically exhausted its supply of interceptor missiles.

This was reported by CNN, Censor.NET reports . The publication agreed not to disclose the model of the Patriot system and its location.

Video text support

(Video transcript)

What is shown in the CNN videohttps://videos.cnscdn.com/9/1/7/d/917de58426b36c37fbdf9f7dec7c05aa/original.mp4

Footage shot by CNN in Ukraine shows a Patriot missile launcher — the camera shows close-ups of the missile containers against a cloudy sky, details of the camouflaged hull of the vehicle, and the hydraulic mechanisms of the installation. The faces of the Ukrainian military in the video are blurred for security reasons.

Next, a CNN journalist, accompanied by a Ukrainian officer, walks around the equipment in a field overgrown with tall grass and corn — the publication does not disclose the location of the shooting. The military officer shows the journalist the elements of the launcher and answers questions about its condition and combat use.

The video illustrates a CNN article about the shortage of Patriot interceptor missiles in Ukraine — this is exactly what, according to the unit’s engineers, is what the conversation recorded on the recording is about.

Empty launchers

Journalists saw 16 Patriot launchers that show signs of regular use, but the unit’s chief engineer, using the pseudonym Dmytro, said that he had not seen a missile launch from this launcher for six weeks.

Ukraine is reluctant to say exactly how many interceptors it has left: President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that the country needs 5% of the US stockpile to survive the winter, while it currently has only 1%.

” It’s really heartbreaking to see that you have the equipment, but you can’t intercept a single missile. Ballistic missiles are flying overhead, and you can’t do anything about it, and behind your back are civilians ,” Dmitry admitted.

The engineer said that he first encountered a situation of a complete lack of interceptors in December 2025, and described the feeling as something like when a person knows how to walk or breathe, but physically cannot do it.

Another crew member, Georgy, who works in the control center, said that the decision on which missile to intercept is made by the unit commander based on experience. According to him, the most difficult thing is to realize that the targets flying in the sky threaten the civilian population, critical infrastructure, and the families of fellow soldiers.

The cause of the global shortage

The global Patriot interceptor supply crisis arose from their active use in the Persian Gulf in March and April — mostly to repel relatively cheap Iranian drone attacks. It is estimated that the wealthy Persian Gulf countries used dozens of interceptors. Dmytro noted that he predicted that the conflict in the Middle East would eventually hit Ukraine.

• According to the Foreign Policy Research Institute, coalition forces used an average of 225 interceptors per day in the first four days of the war with Iran, while manufacturer Lockheed Martin produced only 620 units in 2025 — about 1.7 per day. In January, the Pentagon signed a seven-year agreement with Lockheed Martin to increase production to 2,000 interceptors per year by 2030.

Own production in Ukraine

In an interview with CNN, Zelensky said that he offered Raytheon and Lockheed Martin full control and ownership of any interceptor production plant they allow to open in Ukraine – on the condition that the Ukrainian side determines the production capacity, engineers, and volumes, and the manufacturers themselves can set the price.

On the sidelines of the NATO summit in Ankara in June, US President Donald Trump offered Ukraine licenses to produce interceptors. Representatives from Raytheon and Lockheed Martin later visited Kyiv to meet with Zelensky, but Trump soon expressed doubts about whether such licenses would be granted.

The White House told CNN that no decisions or guarantees have been made regarding the production of Patriot interceptors yet, as the priority remains protecting American technology.

Author:  Valeria Sushkova Джерело: https://censor.net/ua/v4018828

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