Forbes: Patriot System Is Critical to Ukraine's Survival

The supply of Patriot anti-aircraft missile systems is critical for Ukraine's defense against Russian air attacks, The Gaze reports, citing Forbes. 

As of 2025, Russia has destroyed about 80% of Ukraine's thermal generation with missile strikes and has caused significant damage to key hydroelectric power plants. Attacks on the country's gas infrastructure and power grids continue. 

Despite its fatigue, Ukraine is still effectively shooting down Russian drones and cruise missiles, intercepting about 70-80% of such attacks at the beginning of the war. 

“And thus far, the Patriot missile system has performed extremely well in Ukraine, defending against Russian-made Kinzhal and Iskander ballistic missiles,” Forbes indicates. 

The Patriot systems in Ukraine have repeatedly demonstrated high efficiency, in particular against hypersonic missiles, which is beyond the expectations of their capabilities. After being deployed near the front in February 2024, they shot down more than 10 Russian aircraft in a month. 

“There are two main types of Patriot missile systems that are critical to Ukraine-- PAC-2s (which shoot down cruise missiles) and PAC-3s (which shoot down ballistic missiles),” the report notes. 

The PAC-3 is designed to engage in a kill by crashing into missiles and destroying the explosives and chemical charges carried by the missile. Patriot is thus the only air defense missile system in the world that can do this. 

Ukraine has not yet been able to create its own missile defense, so since the beginning of the war it has focused on developing cruise and ballistic missiles, such as Neptune and Grom-2. 

According to Forbes,while Patriot missiles are vital to Ukraine’s defence, their use requires ongoing maintenance, specialized training, and careful judgment from the operators.

It is reported that one Patriot interceptor missile costs $4 million, and the entire system is worth more than $1 billion. It is difficult for Ukraine to maintain stocks of missiles and solve logistical problems with their distribution.  

Due to the high cost of the Patriot system, it is impossible to deploy it on a large scale, and the country needs about 25-30 of these systems to protect large cities and critical infrastructure. 

“While the Patriot systems are not a silver bullet in Ukraine’s war with Russia as coverage will be limited, having these systems in place ensures that civilians,” the message summarizes. 

The Gaze previously reported that, according to Secretary of State Mark Rubio, the United States will work to persuade NATO allies to provide Ukraine with Patriot air defense systems.