Ukraine eyes frozen Russian assets to buy US Patriots amid deadly gaps in air defence

Across Ukraine, old Soviet weapons are being retrofitted to fight modern Russian drones.
One unit uses a machine gun salvaged from a Russian tank to down drones over Sumy—clever, but limited.
Ukraine says only advanced systems like US-made Patriots can reliably stop ballistic and cruise missiles.
Recent Russian strikes have exposed gaps in Ukraine’s air defences, with devastating consequences.
Ukrainian leaders want to buy more Patriots and suggest using frozen Russian assets to fund them.
Moscow would likely react strongly, and US backing remains uncertain, especially under Trump.
Without stronger air defences, Ukraine risks falling further behind if peace talks fail.

Al Jazeera’s Zein Basravi reports from Kyiv.

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Post from Al Jazeera on April 29, 2025

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