Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told ABC News that the Trump administration redirected some 20,000 anti-drone missles intended for Ukraine to the Middle East.
Russia launched a record 472 drones at Ukraine on June 1, so any absence of munitions to protect the skies creates more vulnerabilities for the Ukrainian military to work around. Iranian-made Shared drones costs between 20,000 to 50,000 USD. Russia uses these relatively cheap drones to attack Ukraine’s overworked air defenses systems, hoping Patriot missiles valued at four to five million dollars each will be used to shoot them down.
Part of the technology that was to accompany the missiles including proximity fuzes for the rockets Ukraine uses to intercept Russian drones, according to CNN. The decision to redirect the technology was reportedly made by U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth.
This voice dispatch from Kyiv explains why this will pose a number of challenges for Ukraine’s already strained air defenses and why this decision could result in more loss of life.
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