Russia during the night battered Ukraine with one of the biggest missile attacks since the start of the invasion five years ago.
41 missiles of various types were fired by Russia, of which Kyiv’s military says it shot down 18. An additional 108 out of 125 drones sent against Ukrainian targets were also downed.
Still, Ukraine’s capital city suffered powerful explosions that ravaged buildings across several districts.
In the northeastern Kharkiv region bordering Russia, three people were killed and 16 wounded in a separate strike on a suburb outside the capital, Reuters reports.
We continue to respond to Russian strikes in a fully justified and accurate manner. Today, Ukraine’s long-range sanctions reached designated targets that support and finance Russia’s aggression. SSU units struck three oil depots in the Stavropol region at once, while units of our… pic.twitter.com/3YWEDFBknE
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) July 19, 2026
Ukraine short of U.S. air defense systems
Russian forces have stepped up ballistic missile strikes on Ukrainian cities in recent weeks as Ukraine struggles with a critical shortage of U.S.-designed air defences.
“In total, over the course of this week, Russia has used around 1,450 attack drones, more than 1,640 guided aerial bombs, and 99 missiles of various types against Ukraine,” Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy posted on X. “People were injured in the Odesa region and Zaporizhzhia, and there was damage in the Sumy and Chernihiv regions. This week, the Vinnytsia, Dnipro, Donetsk, Zhytomyr, Kirovohrad, Mykolaiv, Poltava, Kharkiv, Kherson, and Cherkasy regions also came under Russian attack.”
Despite Ukraine reaching a political agreement with the U.S. on licences to make Patriot interceptor missiles, the mounting Russian attacks are increasing pressure on Kyiv’s foreign partners to accelerate the supply of anti-ballistic defences.
“Protection against ballistic missiles is our constant and top priority right now. Interceptors are needed every day, and I am grateful to everyone who takes our agreements seriously and ensures the delivery of anti-ballistic capabilities,” President Zelenskyy added on X.
“Right now, these packages are literally saving lives during every massive Russian attack,” he commented.
Greece Faces Pressure to Supply Ukraine With Interceptors
In this context, a report by Greek daily Kathimerini, citing informed sources, alleged last week that Greece is facing renewed pressure from NATO and European Union partners to provide Patriot missiles to Ukraine.
Ukraine has reportedly requested up to 200 PAC-2 missiles from Hellenic Air Force stockpiles, but neither the Greek nor the Ukrainian government has publicly confirmed the request or the reported number.
Earlier discussions focused on the possible transfer of some of Greece’s six Patriot batteries but ended without an agreement, according to reports, but the latest talks concerned interceptor stockpiles rather than complete air defense systems.
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