Ukraine has strengthened its air defense, in particular, the interception rate of cruise missiles has reached almost 80%, and the interception of drones has increased to 90%.
Points of attention
- Ukraine has bolstered its air defense, achieving nearly 80% interception rate of cruise missiles and 90% interception rate of drones, as announced by Defense Minister Fedorov.
- In response to Kremlin's aggression, Ukraine has successfully defended against a high number of ballistic missiles and drones launched against them, with a focus on protection of their energy system.
Fedorov announced at Ramstein the strengthening of Ukraine's air defense
Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov said this during a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group at the level of defense ministers of NATO member states in a hybrid format.
We have strengthened our air defenses — the interception rate of cruise missiles has reached almost 80%, and the interception of drones has increased to 90%.
Mykhailo Fedorov
Minister of Defense of Ukraine
According to the minister, between November 2025 and March 2026, the Kremlin launched 462 ballistic missiles, almost 600 cruise missiles, and 27,000 Shahed drones against Ukraine.
The goal was to destroy our energy system and leave people in the dark. But Ukraine survived.
He thanked the heads of defense agencies of Germany — Boris Pistorius, Great Britain — John Healy, and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte for participating in today's meeting, as well as every country that contributes to strengthening Ukraine's defense capabilities.
Ukraine seeks peace. Our diplomatic efforts continue. But diplomacy only works when Ukraine is strong on the battlefield and when Russia's ability to continue this war is significantly reduced.
Fedorov also expressed gratitude to all partners contributing through PURL, including Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Poland, and Romania for providing or pledging to provide Ukraine with Patriot missiles.
He separately thanked Pistorius for starting this initiative, as well as the United States for providing the opportunity for partners to purchase the necessary interceptors.
We are making every meter of Ukrainian land extremely expensive for the enemy. Russia is currently losing 254 soldiers per square kilometer. In the Donetsk region, the enemy is losing an average of 428 soldiers per square kilometer.
Fedorov noted that Ukraine is increasing pressure on the Russian economy, particularly in the energy sector. The actions of the Ukrainian army are disrupting logistics, increasing costs, and reducing the resources available to finance this war.
Today we will present new initiatives aimed at strengthening our cooperation. True mutually beneficial partnerships. Our key priorities remain unchanged: air defense, scaling up Ukrainian drones and missiles, and ensuring sufficient long-range artillery ammunition. Together we will bring a just and lasting peace closer.
