Le Monde: Ukraine no longer has missiles for SAMP/T

Russia's night air attacks on Ukrainian cities are becoming more powerful and frequent, while Ukrainian air defenses are barely coping with the load. Moreover, Ukraine has run out of missiles for the SAMP/T, and the Armed Forces have not received a single shell for the Crotale in a year and a half, UNN reports with reference to Le Monde.

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In recent nights, Ukrainian cities have been under massive attacks from Russian forces. Kyiv is already running out of ammunition to counter these bombings, the publication says.

According to the Ukrainian Air Force, more than 2,000 Shahed drones have been launched in the last 20 days. Almost every night a new "record" is set. Almost all Ukrainian cities - Kyiv, Odesa, Kryvyi Rih and Dnipro - are experiencing this "air bacchanalia".

"We are gradually approaching the point where the Russians will be able to launch more than 1,000 Shahed-type drones a day," predicts Maria Berlinska, a well-known Ukrainian expert and director of the Center for Support of Air Intelligence.

It is becoming increasingly difficult to defend such a large territory. The complexity of the routes, the variety of weapons and the sheer number of attacks are depleting the resources of Ukrainian air defense, the publication notes.

Back in 2024, thanks to a multi-level defense that combines mobile groups, anti-aircraft missile systems, helicopters, fighters and data transmission networks, it was possible to shoot down more than 90% of Shaheds. Now this figure sometimes drops to 30%, the publication notes.

"The trend is bad," admits Yakut, deputy commander of the air defense unit in the Odesa region. According to him, the Russians are constantly improving the drones: "Since January, their Shaheds have been flying at an altitude of 2,000 to 3,000 meters instead of the previous 200 meters. We can no longer reach them with our guns. And when they dive at a speed of over 500 km/h, they are very difficult to shoot down."

The publication notes that Shaheds, originally supplied by Iran, are now being produced in Russia, near Kazan. Now they carry three times more explosives (up to 90 kg), including fragmentation, incendiary or thermobaric.

At the same time, according to the military, missiles capable of shooting down the Shahed are too expensive, and their shortage is already obvious. One solution under consideration is a drone ram, as noted in the publication, controlled by artificial intelligence, a weapon that is 20-50 times cheaper than its target.

The unit deployed in southern Ukraine is armed with a battery of Nasam anti-aircraft missile systems, a Norwegian system equipped with American missiles. It also uses Soviet S-300 anti-aircraft missile systems and numerous ground traps to mislead the enemy.

But, according to the commander, in order to respond to the growing challenge, "we need many more long-range systems such as Patriot, Iris-T and SAMP/T".

"Today, we have nothing to protect southern Ukraine from ballistic missiles," the officer said.

According to a Le Monde source, Ukraine no longer has missiles for its two SAMP/T batteries, and it "has not received a single missile in a year and a half" for the Crotale short-range air defense system.

Earlier, UNN wrote that in the event of failed ceasefire negotiations, Ukraine will have to reduce the use of air defense. Russia is increasing drone production to 500 per day, which could lead to attacks of 1,000 units.