Today at 09:54
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy gave an interview to Sky News in which he warned that Ukraine is heading into its hardest winter yet, cautioned against the war expanding further, and addressed Russia’s mobilization plans and Ukraine’s ongoing shortage of Patriot missiles, UATV English reports.
“No one can even imagine how difficult this winter will be,” Zelenskyy said.
The Ukrainian leader said Kyiv must do everything possible to prevent the war from expanding further, warning that Iran and North Korea are already effectively aligned against Ukraine on Russia’s side. He said Iran has, in practice, entered the war against Ukraine by supplying Russia with thousands of Shahed drones, the underlying technology, and a license to manufacture them domestically.
“If Iran gave Russia a new base and new technology from the first year of the war — the Shahed drones — supplied thousands of these drones, and then also handed over licenses for their production, isn’t that an attack on us? I think it is,” Zelenskyy said.
On the prospect of a new wave of Russian mobilization, Zelenskyy said Ukraine could face as many as 500,000 additional Russian troops as soon as October, calling the response to intensified Russian mobilization one of the top priorities for Ukraine’s newly appointed military leadership.
On the shortage of Patriot missiles, Zelenskyy said Ukraine has secured funding in Europe to purchase PAC-2 and PAC-3 interceptors from the United States, but stressed that current supplies remain insufficient. He added that Kyiv is working to launch its own production of interceptor missiles under U.S. license, though building up the necessary stockpiles will take time.
Zelenskyy’s warning follows repeated Ukrainian and Western assessments in recent weeks that Russia has intensified its use of Iranian-designed Shahed drones against Ukrainian cities and energy infrastructure ahead of the winter heating season. Ukrainian officials have also previously said Patriot interceptor shortages have forced difficult trade-offs in air defense, a concern Zelenskyy and other officials have repeatedly raised with Washington and European allies.
