Zelensky to press Nato for air defence systems after intense Russian strikes
Underscoring that threat, Moscow's mayor Sergei Sobyanin said anti-air defences intercepted "most" of the 430 unmanned aerial drones fired by Ukraine towards the capital overnight. The severity of the damage was not immediately clear.
Russian social media accounts are full of videos of people queuing for hours to buy petrol and fighting over what little they're allowed.
On the eve of the Nato gathering, which will be held on Tuesday and Wednesday, Zelensky voiced hope that the meeting in Turkey would not be "empty".
Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte has urged member states to "pull their weight" and ensure Ukraine gets what it needs "to defend its sovereignty".
He underlined that Kyiv was "changing the dynamic on the battlefield", referring to efforts to stall Russian ground troops in the east.
That's also about the recent drone strikes, apparently giving Ukraine an edge.
The phrase of the month here is "window of opportunity".
But as the war in the skies has intensified, Russia's ballistic missiles are causing Kyiv real problems.
Ukraine's air force issues a daily tally of the weapons Moscow launches alongside the number intercepted.
On Monday, almost all drones were blocked successfully but the failure rate for missiles was glaringly obvious.
Ukraine did not stop a single ballistic missile in that attack.
It isn't easy: they fly at several thousand kilometres an hour and there just aren't enough US-made Patriot air defence missiles in Ukraine to counter them.
"It is simply absurd that, in today's world, production has still not been scaled up to the level actually required to protect people from ballistic terror," Zelensky said, venting his frustration in a video address on Monday.
He has been calling on European allies to hand over their own stockpiles of Patriot missiles, arguing that they're no good to anyone in storage when civilians are being killed now in Ukraine.
"Russia is placing its bets on ballistic weapons, and those who want peace must place their bets on protection against ballistic attacks," Zelensky argues, setting out his case for meetings in Ankara.
But Patriot systems are in short supply worldwide and it's not clear how many would ever be enough if Russia were to escalate its ballistic attacks further.
That's why Zelensky also talks about Ukraine producing its own equivalent, with Nato help.
The Russian attacks, though, do suggest that Ukraine's deep strikes are getting under the Kremlin's skin.
After years of Russia targeting civilian infrastructure in Ukraine, including power stations in mid-winter, Moscow now accuses Kyiv of "terrorism" for hitting its oil refineries with drones.
Zelensky calls it an "influence campaign" and he will be keen to share details with Nato allies.
The aim is to pressure Putin into peace talks on terms that Kyiv could stomach – that doesn't include surrendering the entire eastern Donbas region, as Moscow still demands.
The campaign targets have been high profile.
An oil terminal in St Petersburg was hit with drones ahead of Putin's showpiece economic forum in the city in June. Then there were strikes on a refinery in Moscow itself, creating explosion videos that went viral.
Now there's a confirmed hit on an oil refinery in Omsk, Siberia, 2,500 km from Ukraine's border. The drone must have flown undetected for many hours, which shows how stretched Russia's own air defences actually are.
Ukraine's "influence" efforts also include Crimea, the peninsula which Putin seized in 2014 and which is deeply important to him personally.
Ukrainian drones are now hitting military logistics, oil refineries and power plants there almost every day, causing power cuts, fuel and food shortages and an official state of emergency.
A local resident told the BBC the situation was "catastrophic", reminiscent of the turbulent 1990s after the USSR collapsed.
One of Putin's great claims is that he "saved" the country from that chaos, raising Russia "from its knees".
Now his all-out war is bringing danger even to Moscow in the form of drone strikes, and widespread fuel rationing.
So Zelensky will tell Nato, and try to persuade Trump, that Ukraine has turned the tide in this war, and that its campaign of pressure can, with help, compel Russia to engage in proper negotiations for peace.
Trump has seemed impressed by Ukraine lately, although he spoke to Putin for 90 minutes by phone this week, giving the Russian leader a chance to get his war story in first.
Above all, Kyiv wants to end this war fast, through "strength or diplomacy", before another gruelling winter kicks in.
But to have any chance of that, Zelensky will argue, Ukraine needs more interceptor missiles to protect its cities and civilians.
Read the full story at BBC ↗
Zelensky is attending NATO meetings to request additional air defence systems, particularly Patriot missiles and interceptors, following intensive Russian ballistic missile attacks on Ukrainian cities. Ukraine's air defences successfully block most drones but have intercepted few ballistic missiles, which travel at several thousand kilometres per hour. Patriot systems remain in limited global supply. Meanwhile, Ukrainian drone operations have struck Russian oil refineries and infrastructure across long distances—including sites in Siberia 2,500 km away and throughout Crimea—causing fuel shortages and power disruptions in Russia. Zelensky argues this pressure campaign, combined with adequate air defence, could compel Russia toward negotiations. NATO leadership has emphasised member states must provide Ukraine what it needs to defend itself, while Russia's air defences show signs of strain from the extended campaign.
Read the full story at BBC ↗
Underscoring that threat, Moscow's mayor Sergei Sobyanin said anti-air defences intercepted "most" of the 430 unmanned aerial drones fired by Ukraine towards the capital overnight. The severity of the damage was not immediately clear.
Russian social media accounts are full of videos of people queuing for hours to buy petrol and fighting over what little they're allowed.
On the eve of the Nato gathering, which will be held on Tuesday and Wednesday, Zelensky voiced hope that the meeting in Turkey would not be "empty".
Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte has urged member states to "pull their weight" and ensure Ukraine gets what it needs "to defend its sovereignty".
He underlined that Kyiv was "changing the dynamic on the battlefield", referring to efforts to stall Russian ground troops in the east.
That's also about the recent drone strikes, apparently giving Ukraine an edge.
The phrase of the month here is "window of opportunity".
But as the war in the skies has intensified, Russia's ballistic missiles are causing Kyiv real problems.
Ukraine's air force issues a daily tally of the weapons Moscow launches alongside the number intercepted.
On Monday, almost all drones were blocked successfully but the failure rate for missiles was glaringly obvious.
Ukraine did not stop a single ballistic missile in that attack.
It isn't easy: they fly at several thousand kilometres an hour and there just aren't enough US-made Patriot air defence missiles in Ukraine to counter them.
"It is simply absurd that, in today's world, production has still not been scaled up to the level actually required to protect people from ballistic terror," Zelensky said, venting his frustration in a video address on Monday.
He has been calling on European allies to hand over their own stockpiles of Patriot missiles, arguing that they're no good to anyone in storage when civilians are being killed now in Ukraine.
"Russia is placing its bets on ballistic weapons, and those who want peace must place their bets on protection against ballistic attacks," Zelensky argues, setting out his case for meetings in Ankara.
But Patriot systems are in short supply worldwide and it's not clear how many would ever be enough if Russia were to escalate its ballistic attacks further.
That's why Zelensky also talks about Ukraine producing its own equivalent, with Nato help.
The Russian attacks, though, do suggest that Ukraine's deep strikes are getting under the Kremlin's skin.
After years of Russia targeting civilian infrastructure in Ukraine, including power stations in mid-winter, Moscow now accuses Kyiv of "terrorism" for hitting its oil refineries with drones.
Zelensky calls it an "influence campaign" and he will be keen to share details with Nato allies.
The aim is to pressure Putin into peace talks on terms that Kyiv could stomach – that doesn't include surrendering the entire eastern Donbas region, as Moscow still demands.
The campaign targets have been high profile.
An oil terminal in St Petersburg was hit with drones ahead of Putin's showpiece economic forum in the city in June. Then there were strikes on a refinery in Moscow itself, creating explosion videos that went viral.
Now there's a confirmed hit on an oil refinery in Omsk, Siberia, 2,500 km from Ukraine's border. The drone must have flown undetected for many hours, which shows how stretched Russia's own air defences actually are.
Ukraine's "influence" efforts also include Crimea, the peninsula which Putin seized in 2014 and which is deeply important to him personally.
Ukrainian drones are now hitting military logistics, oil refineries and power plants there almost every day, causing power cuts, fuel and food shortages and an official state of emergency.
A local resident told the BBC the situation was "catastrophic", reminiscent of the turbulent 1990s after the USSR collapsed.
One of Putin's great claims is that he "saved" the country from that chaos, raising Russia "from its knees".
Now his all-out war is bringing danger even to Moscow in the form of drone strikes, and widespread fuel rationing.
So Zelensky will tell Nato, and try to persuade Trump, that Ukraine has turned the tide in this war, and that its campaign of pressure can, with help, compel Russia to engage in proper negotiations for peace.
Trump has seemed impressed by Ukraine lately, although he spoke to Putin for 90 minutes by phone this week, giving the Russian leader a chance to get his war story in first.
Above all, Kyiv wants to end this war fast, through "strength or diplomacy", before another gruelling winter kicks in.
But to have any chance of that, Zelensky will argue, Ukraine needs more interceptor missiles to protect its cities and civilians.
Read the full story at BBC ↗
Zelensky will attend NATO meetings in Turkey on Tuesday and Wednesday to request air defence systems Moscow's mayor said air defences intercepted 'most' of 430 drones fired at the capital overnight On Monday, Ukraine blocked almost all drones but did not intercept any ballistic missiles in that attack Patriot air defence systems are in short supply worldwide Ukrainian drones hit an oil refinery in Omsk, Siberia, 2,500 km from Ukraine's border Ukrainian drones are hitting Crimean military logistics, oil refineries and power plants almost daily, causing fuel and food shortages Russia's fuel rationing and air defence strain suggest Ukraine's deep strikes are getting under the Kremlin's skin Zelensky argues that scaling up Patriot missile production to current requirements would protect civilians from ballistic terror Ukraine's campaign of pressure, with adequate air defence support, can compel Russia toward negotiations on terms Kyiv could accept
Read the full story at BBC ↗
- Zelensky will press NATO at meetings in Turkey for additional air defence systems, particularly Patriot missiles, to counter Russian ballistic strikes
- Ukraine's air force successfully intercepts most drones but has failed to stop ballistic missiles; production of interceptor systems worldwide remains insufficient for current demand
- Ukraine has conducted deep strikes on Russian oil infrastructure across vast distances, including targets in Siberia and Crimea, while Russia faces fuel rationing and air defence strain