Ukraine has called on its partners to urgently release Patriot interceptor missiles from their own stockpiles after Russia launched one of the largest air attacks of the full-scale war overnight on July 2, 2026. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said delays in delivering missiles that had already been promised meant Ukraine could not stop every incoming strike.
Speaking at the site of a missile strike in Kyiv’s Darnytskyi district, Zelenskyy said timely deliveries “could have saved people and homes.” He added: “We need these missiles.”
Nearly 500 drones and more than 70 missiles
Ukraine’s Air Force said Russia launched 496 drones and 74 missiles, while the Defense Ministry put the missile total at 77, including about 25 ballistic or hypersonic missiles. Air defenses shot down more than 90 percent of the cruise missiles and Shahed-type drones, but 25 ballistic missiles and 12 drones hit 33 locations.
Kyiv took the brunt of the attack. At least 13 people were killed and 56 injured in the capital, including two children, according to early official figures. A fire broke out at the top of a building on central Shevchenko Boulevard, and windows were blown out and cars destroyed across the city as residents sheltered in metro stations through the night. It was the second-deadliest Russian strike on Kyiv so far this year.
“The enemy has once again deliberately targeted residential neighbourhoods and killed civilians,” said Tymur Tkachenko, head of Kyiv’s military administration. Prime Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko called it “a cynical, large-scale attack on Ukraine,” adding that “Kyiv was hit the hardest.” Zelenskyy had warned of a possible attack and cut short a visit to Dublin, where Ireland was starting its EU presidency.
Paid for, but not delivered
Zelenskyy said Ukraine did not have enough interceptors to counter all 74 missiles and that some deliveries Ukraine has already paid for have not arrived. He pointed to a Norway-financed deal for 200 interceptors, none of which, he said, had been delivered.
Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov wrote to almost 40 partner countries asking them to transfer Patriot missiles from existing stocks this month, with replacements to follow under contracts Ukraine has already signed. The ministry also urged allies to expand the PURL and JUMPSTART procurement mechanisms ahead of the upcoming NATO summit, describing them as the fastest way to get new missiles to Ukraine.
What Ukraine has already secured
Kyiv has taken several steps to rebuild its stocks. In April, it signed a record contract, with German support, for hundreds of PAC-2 missiles, although deliveries will be spread over several years. Ukraine has also begun its first purchase of around 100 Patriot missiles through a €1 billion EU-backed loan and has started receiving interceptors from European stockpiles. The Defense Ministry said adopting NATO’s After Action Review process has more than doubled Patriot effectiveness against maneuvering Iskander ballistic missiles.
Russia’s stated targets
Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed it struck military and energy facilities and airports, calling the attack retaliation for Ukrainian strikes on Russian infrastructure. Neighboring Poland briefly scrambled fighter jets as a precaution, and Finland temporarily restricted aviation over the eastern Gulf of Finland.
Sources
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