Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky‘s confirmation of Ukraine’s crippling Patriot interceptor missile shortage and plea for more has showcased the dire position the country is in as it stares down another harsh winter.

Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and particularly after Moscow switched to an attritional military model in September 2022, Ukraine’s cities have struggled against a large-scale missile and drone campaign targeting key strategic targets throughout the country. For the first four years of the campaign, Ukraine was able to consistently shoot down a sizable share of Russia’s drones and missiles, first with its legacy Soviet air defense network, then through the large-scale supply of Patriot and other Western missile defense systems.