Kiev, July 15:
Ukraine’s air force said Tuesday it intercepted five ballistic missiles launched by Russia in a raft of overnight attacks, although other missiles and drones got through and hit warehouses and a school in the capital of Kyiv.
It was the first time in almost two weeks that Ukraine said it had downed Russian ballistic missiles, which are harder to stop than drones or cruise missiles and have pummeled the country in Moscow’s 4-year-old full-scale invasion.
Ukrainian air defences likely used the U.S.-made Patriot surface-to-air guided missile system, which is the most effective way of countering ballistic missiles, but ammunition for it has been in short supply amid the Iran war, despite European efforts to make up for the shortfall.
Along the cobblestoned Champs-Elysees in Paris, crowds cheered Ukrainian troops marching in the annual Bastille Day parade, and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy received an ovation from European leaders who showed solidarity with Kyiv.
Ukrainian aviators trained in France flew aboard two Mirage 2000B fighter jets alongside French air force pilots.
Zelenskyy was in France seeking a remedy to his country’s air defence problem, and he announced Monday that Ukraine is joining with nine other nations to form a coalition that will build a shared ballistic missile shield for Europe.