Missiles Faster Than Defenses: Russia’s Ballistic Threat to Ukraine Grows

Russia’s ballistic missiles are penetrating Ukrainian defenses more often because their speed leaves Kyiv with only seconds to intercept, and Patriot batteries remain the only system reliably capable of stopping Iskander-M, S-400 and Zircon, yet Ukraine has too few interceptors and Western stocks are strained. In response, Kyiv is pursuing Patriot production licenses, Freya, and a European missile-defense coalition, while efforts to destroy launchers (and use Starlink for targeting) aim to reduce threats, though production timelines mean the danger will persist in the near term.