At least 17 people were killed in Russian attacks on Kyiv and the Kyiv region overnight, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Ninety-eight of 115 Russian drones were intercepted, Ukraine's air defences said in a report. Russia also fired four cruise missiles and 24 ballistic missiles at Ukraine, according to the report, which makes no mention of any of them being intercepted.
This could be a sign that Ukrainian missile stocks have reached a critically low level. However, it cannot be ruled out that Ukraine is deliberately withholding information to further reinforce the message that the outside world needs to send more air defence, according to Lieutenant Colonel Johan Huovinen.
It could also be that a missile was fired but did not hit, he says.
At the same time, there are increasing reports that the US missile stockpile is starting to run out. On Tuesday, Reuters reported that ammunition for the two US missile systems, Atacms and PrSM, is basically out. The missiles are used for precision strikes and have been used extensively both by the US in the war in Iran and by Ukraine in the war against Russia.
Difficult to make breakthroughs
The frontline is still dominated by drones and it is difficult for either side to make any major breakthroughs. In that situation, Russia sees it as easier to achieve success by firing missiles at Ukrainian cities, according to Joakim Paasikivi, geopolitical adviser at Mannheimer Swartling.
How large Russia's stockpiles of ballistic missiles are is difficult to assess, he says.
The information I have seen and which I think seems reasonable is that there are no large stocks but rather fairly extensive production, says Paasikivi.
He refers to Ukrainian data showing that Russia produces between 60 and 70 missiles a month.
At the same time, Ukraine's military intelligence service says Russia is expected to receive an additional 120 ballistic missiles from North Korea shortly, Reuters writes.
License for anti-aircraft missile
During the NATO summit in Turkey earlier this summer, Trump announced that Ukraine would be granted a license to manufacture the Patriot air defence missile system. However, the president appeared to backtrack on that promise at a cabinet meeting last week, where he said the issue was being discussed but that it was "difficult to give away that type of technology."
However, future licensed manufacturing of Patriot missiles would not solve Ukraine's problems in the short term.
It is a difficult situation for Ukraine, says Paasikivi.
