Russian Strikes Intensify Ukraine’s Port and Air Defense Crisis

Russian forces struck port infrastructure in Izmail, Ukraine’s largest Danube port, in the southern Odesa region near the Romanian border, causing damage and starting a fire. Ukrainian authorities said emergency crews were deployed to extinguish the blaze. The attack followed Ukraine’s strike on Russia’s Novorossiysk port, indicating continued escalation against key maritime and grain-export infrastructure on both sides of the war. The article also focuses on Ukraine’s worsening shortage of air-defense interceptors. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told CNN that Ukraine needs 5 percent of the United States’ Patriot interceptor stockpiles to protect the country through the winter and 10 percent to destroy all of Russia’s ballistic missiles. He said Ukraine had only 2.5 times fewer interceptors this year than in 2025, while Russia is launching twice as many ballistic missiles per month as before. Zelenskyy said Ukraine had received only about 1 percent of the missiles it needs and urged the United States to sell it additional supplies. Ukraine’s shortage has reportedly intensified since the United States and Israel began their war against Iran in February, diverting supplies of advanced air-defense systems. Russian missile attacks on Kyiv have recently occurred about weekly, causing civilian deaths and damage to homes. In one assault, Ukraine failed to intercept any of 28 ballistic missiles. Because Ukrainian forces are struggling to counter the increased attacks, the air force announced it would stop publishing detailed statistics on ballistic missile launches and interceptions. Officials said real-time warnings would continue and generalized figures would still be released. Russia launched more than 450 missiles at Ukraine last month, including nearly 200 ballistic missiles. Zelenskyy said he hoped Washington would respond to his requests, while indicating that he was pursuing additional measures he could not publicly discuss.

FRANCE 24 reports that Russia struck the area around Izmail, Ukraine’s largest Danube port, overnight on August 13, 2026. The attack damaged port infrastructure and caused a fire, according to regional authorities. Izmail, located in the Odesa region near the Romanian border, handles grain and other commodities and is an important export route. The strike followed a Ukrainian attack on Novorossiysk, a major grain-export hub in Russia’s Black Sea territory. Romania said it scrambled two fighter jets after an aerial target entered its airspace for roughly 10 minutes before departing toward Ukraine. The live coverage also reports attacks and claimed interceptions on both sides of the Russia-Ukraine war. Russia’s Defence Ministry said it had intercepted or destroyed 362 Ukrainian drones overnight. In Salavat, in Russia’s Bashkortostan region, a drone attack reportedly caused a fire in an industrial area near a major oil refinery and petrochemical complex. Online retailer Wildberries separately said an air attack caused a fire at an industrial site where it has a facility, although it said no goods were stored there. The company said its warehouses had been targeted in a series of alleged Ukrainian drone attacks since July 18. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Kyiv needs five percent of the United States’ Patriot interceptor stocks to protect the country through the winter and 10 percent to eliminate Russia’s ballistic missiles. He said Ukraine currently has far fewer interceptors than in 2025, while Russia is launching more ballistic missiles. The report attributes shortages partly to the diversion of US and Israeli supplies during their war with Iran. The article also highlights a sharp increase in international military aid. Data from the Kiel Institute showed that Ukraine received or was allocated €7.2 billion in military assistance in June, driven largely by a new €90 billion European Union support loan, although long-term assistance remains below Ukraine’s needs.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has appealed to the United States to provide or sell Ukraine 5 per cent of its stockpile of Patriot interceptor missiles, saying that amount would be enough to help the country survive the coming winter and save civilian lives. He said Ukraine would need 10 per cent of US Patriot stocks to destroy all of Russia’s ballistic missiles. Zelensky made the comments in an interview with CNN published on Aug 13. He said Ukraine had only 2½ times fewer interceptors in 2026 than it had in 2025, while Russia was launching twice as many ballistic missiles each month as before. Russian forces have recently carried out large-scale attacks on Kyiv roughly once a week, killing civilians and damaging or destroying homes. During one assault, Ukrainian forces reportedly failed to intercept any of the 28 ballistic missiles fired at the capital. Ukraine’s shortage of Patriot interceptors has reportedly worsened since the United States and Israel went to war with Iran in February, diverting supplies of the advanced air-defence systems. Ballistic missiles are particularly difficult to stop because they travel faster and follow steeper trajectories than cruise missiles or drones. Zelensky said he had so far received only 1 per cent of what he was seeking from the United States and that moving from 1 per cent to 5 per cent would require months of appeals and extensive diplomatic efforts. He also suggested he was taking measures he could not publicly discuss, while saying they were not necessarily unlawful. Separately, Ukraine’s air force announced that it would stop publishing detailed statistics on Russian ballistic-missile attacks, including the numbers launched, intercepted, suppressed or those that failed to reach their targets. Real-time warnings and generalised information on missile launches would continue. Russia fired more than 450 missiles at Ukraine in July, including nearly 200 ballistic missiles.