President Volodymyr Zelensky wants to order 25 Patriot air defence systems from the United States, as the nation faces relentless Russian aerial attacks causing widespread blackouts on the brink of winter.
Acknowledging the high cost and lengthy manufacturing time, Mr Zelensky suggested European countries could donate their Patriots and await replacements, stressing: “we would not like to wait.”
The missile and drone strikes on the power grid coincide with Ukraine’s efforts to repel a Russian push towards the eastern stronghold of Pokrovsk.
International peace efforts have dissipated, nearly four years after Russia’s invasion.
Ukraine recently received more Patriot systems from Germany, though the total number of these crucial defence assets in the country remains unknown.
But on the whole air defenses remain stretched thin across wide expanses of Ukrainian territory, and the threat to the provision of heating and running water in the bitter winter is acute.
NATO is coordinating regular deliveries of large weapons packages to Ukraine.
European allies and Canada are buying much of the equipment from the United States. The Trump administration is not giving any arms to Ukraine, unlike the previous Biden administration.
Russia’s attacks on energy infrastructure have grown more effective. It launches hundreds of drones, some equipped with cameras to improve targeting, that overwhelm Ukraine’s air defenses, especially in regions where protection is weaker.
Also, this year it is striking region by region, hitting local switchyards and substations, instead of taking aim at the centralised national grid.
Ukraine’s Energy Ministry said Monday that Russian attacks caused more damage to its power infrastructure, resulting in scheduled blackouts in most of the country’s regions.
It urged Ukrainians to rationalise their use of electricity, especially during peak consumption hours in the mornings and evenings.
Meanwhile, the two sides were locked in a battle for control of Pokrovsk, in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region where Zelensky says Russia has assembled 170,000 troops for a renewed push.
There has been a relative lull in fighting in recent days, according to reports gathered by the Institute for the Study of War.
But the Washington-based think tank said it expected Russian forces to quicken the tempo of their attacks in coming days as they move more troops into the city.
