On August 13 (Moscow time), according to TASS news agency, Russian military sources said that the number of Patriot missiles that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky requested the US to provide is equivalent to about 85 missiles, which could help Kiev intercept about 25 ballistic missiles.
Previously, in an interview with the press, Mr. Zelensky said that Ukraine needs about 5% of the Patriot missiles in the US stockpile to maintain air defense capabilities in the winter.
Patriot is an air defense system developed by the US, designed to detect and intercept aircraft, cruise missiles and ballistic missiles. This system is considered one of the most important air defense weapons that Western countries provide to Ukraine, especially in protecting cities and infrastructure from missile attacks.
According to sources quoted by TASS, the US is said to have about 1,700 Patriot missiles, so 5% is equivalent to about 85 missiles.
Sources said that if calculated according to the scenario that each Patriot missile only successfully intercepts one ballistic missile, the above number of missiles is enough for Ukraine to cope with about 4 rounds of combined attacks.
However, according to this source, US data calculates the effectiveness of the Patriot system based on the ability to intercept targets. With that calculation, about 85 Patriot missiles will be able to intercept about 25 ballistic missiles.
TASS news source also quoted reports from Ukraine as saying that on May 26 alone, 90 missiles were launched at Kiev.
Mr. Zelensky previously said that Ukraine is seeking to increase the supply of Patriot missiles from the US. According to him, this year, Ukraine received 2.5 times fewer interceptor missiles for the Patriot system than in 2025.
The Ukrainian leader said Kiev is negotiating many agreements to have more missiles, but did not disclose specific content. He also said he is waiting for the US to approve the proposal to allow Ukraine to produce Patriot missiles under license.
The US has not yet accepted this proposal. Previously, US President Donald Trump had expressed caution about the possibility of technology transfer for Ukraine to self-produce Patriot systems and missiles of this system.
