Russian Ballistic Missiles Wreak Havoc As Zelenskyy Urges US To Speed Patriot Licenses
by RFE/RL · Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty · JoinRussian ultra-fast ballistic missiles continued to create havoc in Ukrainian cities, combining with drones and guided bombs to kill at least six people in the latest attacks, prompting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to urge Western allies to speed delivery of air defense weaponry.
"Civilian infrastructure was hit even before the air raid alert was issued," Zelensky said on Telegram, adding that Russia launched more than 120 drones and 12 missiles overnight on July 11.
“Our defenders managed to shoot down most of the targets, but not the ballistics.”
“Residential buildings, offices, and a theological seminary were damaged in the capital,” he added, while posting videos of emergency teams working in the rubble of buildings struck in the attacks.
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Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said at least 12 people, including children aged 10-11, were injured in the capital, while AFP journalists in the city reported hearing multiple explosions in the early morning hours, with an air alert siren sounding minutes after the first blast.
Patriot Licenses Promised
Zelenskyy repeated his call for Western allies to send additional military aid and urged Washington to follow through on its vow make licenses available for Ukraine to produce Patriot air defense systems.
Zelenskyy on July 9 said Kyiv and Washington had reached agreement on licenses for production of PAC-3 Patriot interceptors, adding that parts for the missiles were expected to arrive in the next few days.
“We’ll give them the right to make Patriots,” US President Donald Trump said, sitting alongside Zelenskyy on the sidelines of a NATO summit in Turkey.
“We’re going to be giving a license to you to make Patriots,” he said. “This way, you can’t complain we’re not giving them enough. I’ll say: ‘Well, make them yourself.’”
The US-designed Patriot's PAC-3 interceptor is one of the few Western weapons capable of shooting down the ballistic missiles Russia has been firing at Ukrainian cities.
Zelenskyy also said talks were proceeding with Washington on a "drone deal" and possible joint production.
In his nightly video address, Zelenskyy said, "Agreements reached by national leaders must be implemented much more quickly and completely," without being specific.
Kyiv has regularly been the target of attacks involving waves of Russian drones and cruise and ballistic missiles. On July 2, an attack killed more than 30 people, one of the deadliest strikes since the start of the full-scale invasion in February 2022.
Only 30 Percent Interception Rate
The London-based Center for Information Resilience estimated that 80-90 percent of Russian long-range drones and cruise missiles fired at it have been intercepted.
However, it said that of the 522 Russian ballistic missiles fired this year at Ukraine, only 30 percent were intercepted.
Russia’s ground-launched Iskander-M ballistic missile -- with a range of about 500 kilometers -- can travel at speeds up to Mach 7, allowing it to reach targets within minutes. Reuters quoted experts as saying Russia is producing at least 700-800 Iskander and Kinzhal hypersonic air-launched ballistic missiles a year.
Russian forces have been firing missiles and drones into Kyiv almost daily since it launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022.
Moscow denies that it targets residential sites despite widespread evidence of such attacks.
Elsewhere on July 11, Sumy Mayor Artem Kobzar said a guided bomb killed four people, including a young girl, while a separate missile strike on the southern city of Odesa killed two others, regional Governor Oleg Kiper said.
The attacks come as Ukraine has intensified its own campaign of devastating strikes deep inside Russia on energy assets, exacerbating widening fuel shortages inside the country.
Kyiv also continued to strike Russian "shadow fleet" tankers in the Sea of Azov.
Ukraine said it struck 21 tankers overnight on July 10-11 and has hit numerous others in recent days, in a bid to disrupt fuel supplies to Russian forces fighting in Ukraine.
Russian Ballistic Missiles Wreak Havoc As Zelenskyy Urges US To Speed Patriot Licenses
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