Amid Iran war, will Russia exploit Ukraine’s shortage of Patriot missiles?

Zelenskyy says more US-made Patriot defence systems were used in three days of the Iran war than in Ukraine since 2022.

Kyiv, Ukraine – As Washington’s Middle Eastern allies use US-made Patriot air defence systems to shoot down Iranian missiles and drones, Ukraine is about to face a dire shortage of ammunition for them.

Experts have told Al Jazeera that Russian President Vladimir Putin is sure to exploit the shortage of pricey guided missiles the truck-mounted Patriots launch at machinegun speed to down his pride and joy, Russia’s ballistic missiles that he once declared were “indestructible”.

The Patriots were developed in the 1970s to down Soviet missiles whose modifications Russia still rains on Ukraine.

Their supply to Ukraine began in 2023 and was initially limited to several batteries stationed in the capital, Kyiv. The location of the systems was constantly changed to protect them from Russian attacks.

The Patriots “have undoubtedly been the most important defence element, especially for cities with more than a million residents, Kyiv in particular, even though they couldn’t intercept all Russian missiles,” Nikolay Mitrokhin of Germany’s Bremen University told Al Jazeera.