President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has announced that European allies will take important decisions this week to strengthen Ukraine\u2019s air and missile defence capabilities. One of the priorities is to increase the capacity to intercept Russian ballistic missiles. The agreements provide for new SAMP\/T NG systems, additional Aster 30 missiles and the licensed production of these missiles in Ukraine.<\/p>\n
Briefly about the main points<\/strong><\/p>\n Massive Russian attack<\/a> It began on the evening of 26 August and continued throughout the night and into the morning of 27 August. Russia deployed \u00abIskander-M\u00bb\/KN-23 ballistic missiles from the Bryansk and Kursk regions, two \u00abOnyx\u00bb anti-ship missiles and 258 drones of various types. Around a third of the drones were jet-powered.<\/p>\n As of 09:00, the Ukrainian Air Force reported that 233 targets had been shot down or neutralised: seven \u00abIskander-M\u00bb\/KN-23 missiles, one \u00abOnyx\u00bb missile, three S8000 \u00abBanderole\u00bb loitering munitions and 222 drones. Hits by air-attack weapons were recorded at 15 locations, with debris found at a further 11.<\/p>\n The main targets of the attack were the Odesa, Kyiv, Dnipropetrovsk and Poltava regions, as well as Zaporizhzhia.<\/p>\n Ballistic missiles travel at very high speeds and strike along a steep trajectory. As a result, air defence systems have considerably less time to react than they do during attacks by cruise missiles or drones.<\/p>\n Following the attack on 20 August, Zelenskyy stated that intercepting ballistic missiles is significantly more difficult, and called on partners to increase the number of missiles for the Patriot system. These American systems, equipped with the relevant interceptors, remain one of Ukraine\u2019s main means of combating such targets. On 25 August, the President announced the arrival of a new, albeit small, consignment of missiles for the Patriot system.<\/p>\n\n
Night-time attack: Air defence forces destroyed ballistic missiles and drones<\/h2>\n
Patriot remains one of the main defences against ballistic threats<\/h2>\n
France and Italy are preparing SAMP\/T NG for Ukraine<\/h2>\n