President Zelenskyy has requested 25 Patriot air-defense batteries from the United States to help shield Ukraine’s power grid from intensified Russian missile and drone strikes that have caused rolling blackouts ahead of winter. He proposed that European allies could transfer existing Patriots now and receive replacements later to expedite protection. Russia has increasingly targeted local switchyards and substations, overwhelming stretched air defenses and threatening heating and water supplies. Fighting around Pokrovsk continues as Kyiv reports roughly 170,000 Russian troops massed for an offensive.
Zelenskyy Requests 25 Patriot Batteries as Russia Steps Up Strikes on Ukraine’s Power Grid
President Zelenskyy has requested 25 Patriot air-defense batteries from the United States to help shield Ukraine’s power grid from intensified Russian missile and drone strikes that have caused rolling blackouts ahead of winter. He proposed that European allies could transfer existing Patriots now and receive replacements later to expedite protection. Russia has increasingly targeted local switchyards and substations, overwhelming stretched air defenses and threatening heating and water supplies. Fighting around Pokrovsk continues as Kyiv reports roughly 170,000 Russian troops massed for an offensive.
11:55 PM, 11/10/2025Conflict
Zelenskyy requests 25 Patriot air-defense systems from the U.S. to blunt grid attacks
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Monday he wants to order 25 Patriot air-defense batteries from the United States as Ukraine struggles to repel sustained Russian missile and drone assaults that have caused rolling blackouts ahead of winter.
Zelenskyy acknowledged that Patriots are expensive and that producing a large batch could take years. He suggested European countries could transfer existing Patriot batteries to Ukraine now and receive replacements later, saying, "we would not like to wait."
Combined missile and drone strikes on energy infrastructure have accompanied Ukraine’s urgent efforts to resist a renewed Russian ground push aimed at capturing the eastern stronghold of Pokrovsk. The attacks have shifted this year toward hitting local switchyards and substations rather than solely targeting the centralized national grid.
Zelenskyy said Ukraine recently received additional Patriot systems from Germany. It is unclear exactly how many Patriot batteries are currently deployed in Ukraine; overall, air defenses remain thinly spread across wide areas of the country, leaving heating and running water at risk during a harsh winter.
NATO is coordinating regular deliveries of large weapons packages to Ukraine, and European allies and Canada have purchased much of that equipment from the United States.
Russia’s strikes on energy infrastructure have become more effective. Moscow launches hundreds of drones — some equipped with cameras to improve targeting — that can overwhelm Ukrainian air defenses, particularly in regions with weaker protection.
Ukraine’s Energy Ministry said Monday that recent attacks caused additional damage to the power network, prompting scheduled blackouts across most regions and urging citizens to conserve electricity, especially during morning and evening peak hours.
Front line: Both sides are contesting control of Pokrovsk in Donetsk. Zelenskyy says Russia has massed roughly 170,000 troops for a renewed push. The Institute for the Study of War reported a relative lull in fighting in recent days but warned Russian forces may accelerate attacks as they move more troops into the area.
What this means: Securing more long-range air defenses could help protect critical energy infrastructure and reduce the humanitarian impact of winter blackouts, but procurement and delivery pose logistical and political challenges.