Neptune missiles hit Russian bombers – Kyiv's Patriot stocks nearly gone
Ukraine says it hit six Su-34 bombers at an airfield near Voronezh. At the same time, media report that Kyiv is running out of Patriot interceptor missiles.
Symbolic image · Photo: Alex Beltyukov / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped and resized)
Ukraine hit six Su-34M fighter-bombers at Russia's Borisoglebsk military airfield, according to President Volodymyr Zelensky. Four were destroyed and two damaged, he said. The airfield in the Voronezh region lies about 370 kilometres from the front line. Ukraine's navy said the Neptune coastal missile system was used. The aircraft had been loaded with aerial bombs and were ready for new strikes, Zelensky wrote on Telegram. The claims could not be independently verified.
Voronezh Governor Alexander Gusev repeatedly warned of drone attacks overnight, and residents filmed explosions and a large fire. The Neptune is a Ukrainian-made cruise missile that was used to sink Russia's Black Sea flagship Moskva in 2022. “Russia is dragging out the war, therefore, our long-range operations will continue,” Zelensky said.
Meanwhile, Ukraine's air defences are running short. The Washington Post, citing a Ukrainian official, reported that “only a couple” of Patriot missiles remain; ten interceptors delivered on 7 October were used up in Russian attacks on Kyiv. CNN, citing a source familiar with the situation, reported that the supply has run out completely. The attack on Kyiv with 39 ballistic missiles on the night to 14 October killed three women and injured 25 people.