Production has still not been scaled up to protect people from ballistic terror
Russia has intensified ballistic missile strikes on Ukrainian cities, with Ukraine failing to intercept many missiles despite successful drone defense against other weapons. Ukraine's own long-range drone campaign is damaging Russian oil refineries and military infrastructure across vast distances, creating fuel shortages and pressuring Moscow.
- Russian ballistic missiles killed more than 50 civilians in Kyiv strikes within a week
- Ukraine failed to intercept a single ballistic missile in one Monday attack
- Ukrainian drones struck an oil refinery in Omsk, Siberia, 2,500 km from the border
- NATO summit in Ankara; Zelensky also meeting with Donald Trump
- Patriot air defence systems in short supply worldwide
Ukrainian President Zelensky will press NATO allies at an Ankara summit for additional air defence systems and interceptor missiles to counter escalating Russian ballistic attacks that have killed over 50 civilians.
Volodymyr Zelensky is heading to Ankara with a single, urgent demand: give Ukraine the air defence systems it needs to stop Russian missiles from killing civilians. The timing of his plea carries weight. Just days before the NATO summit, Russian ballistic missiles struck residential blocks in Kyiv twice in less than a week, leaving more than 50 people dead. The attacks underscore a brutal asymmetry in the war's newest phase—Ukraine can shoot down most of the drones Russia sends, but the ballistic missiles are another matter entirely.
On Monday alone, Ukraine's air force intercepted nearly all incoming drones. Not a single ballistic missile was stopped. These weapons travel at several thousand kilometers per hour, and there simply aren't enough American-made Patriot interceptors in the country to counter them. Zelensky has grown blunt about the absurdity of the situation. "It is simply absurd that, in today's world, production has still not been scaled up to the level actually required to protect people from ballistic terror," he said in a video address, his frustration evident. He's been pressing European allies to hand over their own stockpiles of Patriot missiles, arguing that weapons sitting in storage are useless when Ukrainians are dying now.
But Zelensky's visit to Turkey isn't only about pleading for more air defence. He also plans to meet with Donald Trump and make a broader case: that Ukraine is winning. The evidence, he'll argue, lies in Ukraine's own long-range drone campaign. Ukrainian drones have struck oil refineries and military targets deep inside Russia, hitting facilities in Omsk, Siberia—2,500 kilometers from Ukraine's border—and causing significant fuel shortages and power cuts. Russian social media is filled with videos of people queuing for hours to buy petrol, rationing spreading across the country. Drones have also pounded Crimea, the peninsula Putin seized in 2014, with strikes on military logistics, refineries, and power plants happening almost daily. A local resident described the situation there as "catastrophic," reminiscent of the chaos of the 1990s after the Soviet Union collapsed.
Zelensky sees these strikes as leverage. He calls Russia's accusations of Ukrainian "terrorism" an "influence campaign"—one designed to pressure Putin into peace talks. The campaign is working, he believes, because it's getting under the Kremlin's skin. After years of Russia targeting Ukrainian civilian infrastructure, including power stations in the depths of winter, Moscow now accuses Kyiv of terrorism for hitting its own oil refineries. The psychological impact matters. Putin has built his political identity on the claim that he "saved" Russia from the chaos of the 1990s. Now his war is bringing danger to Moscow itself in the form of drone strikes and fuel rationing.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has echoed Zelensky's call, urging member states to "pull their weight" and ensure Ukraine gets what it needs. He noted that Kyiv is "changing the dynamic on the battlefield," both through efforts to stall Russian ground troops in the east and through the drone strikes that are apparently giving Ukraine an edge. The phrase circulating among Western officials is "window of opportunity"—a moment when military pressure might force Russia to negotiate.
Yet the math of air defence remains daunting. Patriot systems are in short supply worldwide, and it's unclear how many would ever be enough if Russia escalates its ballistic attacks further. That's why Zelensky is also talking about Ukraine producing its own equivalent systems, with NATO help. But for now, the immediate need is clear: more interceptor missiles to protect cities and civilians.
Trump, meanwhile, has seemed impressed by Ukraine's recent performance, though he spoke to Putin for 90 minutes by phone this week, giving the Russian leader a chance to present his version of events first. Zelensky's task in Ankara is to convince both NATO and Trump that Ukraine's military gains have created a genuine opening for negotiated peace—but only if Ukraine can keep its cities safe long enough to reach the negotiating table. Before another grueling winter arrives, Kyiv wants to end this war through "strength or diplomacy." The interceptor missiles, Zelensky will argue, are the key to both.
Notable Quotes
It is simply absurd that, in today's world, production has still not been scaled up to the level actually required to protect people from ballistic terror— Volodymyr Zelensky
Kyiv is changing the dynamic on the battlefield— NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
Why does Zelensky keep asking for Patriot missiles specifically? Can't Ukraine use something else?
Patriot systems are what the West has in abundance, and they're proven against ballistic missiles. But the real problem is that there simply aren't enough of them anywhere. Europe has some in storage, but no one wants to give up their own air defence. It's a scarcity problem dressed up as a technical one.
So Ukraine's drone strikes on Russian oil refineries—are those actually changing anything strategically, or is it more psychological?
It's both. The fuel shortages are real. People are rationing petrol. But the psychological effect might matter more right now. Putin's entire political brand is built on stability and strength. Drones hitting Moscow, fuel lines forming in Russian cities—that undermines his narrative. Zelensky knows this.
Trump spoke to Putin for 90 minutes. Doesn't that worry Zelensky?
Of course it does. But Zelensky is betting that if he can show Trump that Ukraine is winning—that the military situation is shifting—then Trump will see negotiations as something Ukraine can enter from a position of strength, not desperation. The drone campaign is his evidence.
What happens if NATO doesn't give him the missiles he's asking for?
Then Ukraine keeps losing civilians to ballistic strikes it can't stop. The war grinds on into another winter. Zelensky's argument that there's a window for peace closes because Ukraine will be too exhausted to negotiate from strength. That's the stakes he's laying out in Ankara.
Is Crimea really as important to Putin as the article suggests?
He seized it in 2014 and made it central to his political identity. Now Ukrainian drones are hitting it almost daily, causing power cuts and shortages. It's humiliating. That's exactly why Zelensky is targeting it—not just militarily, but as a message to Putin that nowhere is safe.