CNN is the first media outlet to gain access to a Patriot system on Ukrainian territory, and chief engineer Dmytro reveals that launchers have been standing empty for weeks while ballistic missiles fly over civilians' heads.
Near Kyiv, in a cornfield, stands one of the most sought-after defense systems in the world. The American Patriot interceptor, its tubes empty, was last fired 10 weeks ago. CNN was the first media outlet to gain access to a Patriot system on Ukrainian territory, and Ukrainian officials seized the opportunity to reveal a key fact: the country has almost completely exhausted its interceptor supplies.
CNN agreed not to disclose details about the Patriot model or its exact location. The system, whose 16 tubes CNN saw, shows signs of regular use, but the chief engineer in Ukraine, who for security reasons only gave his first name, Dmytro, said he has not seen a Patriot launcher fire in six weeks. The situation is further complicated by the fact that July was the deadliest month for civilians since May 2022, amid almost nightly Russian attacks.
"This is truly a heartbreaking sight when you have the equipment but are unable to intercept any missile. Ballistic missiles fly over your head and you can't do anything, and behind you are civilians," a visibly shaken Dmytro told CNN.
For the first time, he had no interceptor to fire in December 2025. "It's hard to describe - strong and bad feelings. It's like you learn to walk, but you can't walk. You know how to breathe, but you can't breathe," Dmytro described.
Ukraine did not want to specify how many interceptors, if any, it has left. President Volodymyr Zelensky said the country needs 5% of U.S. missile stockpiles to survive the winter, but currently has only 1%.
The global supply crisis for Patriot interceptors has been driven by their liberal use in the Gulf during March and April 2026, often to counter relatively cheap Iranian drone attacks. Coalition forces in the first four days of the war with Iran used an average of 225 missiles per day, according to the Foreign Policy Research Institute.
Manufacturer Lockheed Martin produced 620 missiles in 2025, or 1.7 per day, resulting in a consumption-to-production ratio of 132 to 1. In January 2026, the Pentagon signed a seven-year contract with Lockheed Martin to produce 2,000 missiles per year by 2030.
"We predicted we would be in trouble. We were shocked by how many missiles they launched at the same time... exactly those missiles we could use against Russian ballistic missiles," Dmytro said about the impact of the Middle East conflict on Ukraine.
Zelensky, in an interview with CNN, discussed the complex issue of building its own interceptors under license from the U.S. and manufacturers. He said he offered Raytheon and Lockheed Martin ownership and control over any interceptor production plant they allow in Ukraine.
"It will be your company. It will be our brains, our hands, our engineers. And I will do my best to build a great company... for them. Because I don't have to sell [missiles] to anyone else, I need them for my country."
Zelensky added that in nearly five years of war, he has become an expert on other countries' capabilities: "I know the production, facilities, military, and stockpiles of most countries in Europe, including the United States. Not all, but a lot."
On the sidelines of the NATO summit in Ankara in June 2026, Trump offered Ukraine licenses to start producing interceptors. Raytheon and Lockheed Martin traveled to Kyiv for a meeting with Zelensky, but shortly after, Trump expressed doubts that licensing would be approved.
"I want to get it. I think his word is the word of the President of the United States. And I hope to get it," Zelensky told CNN.
A White House official, in response to CNN's interview with Zelensky, said no decisions have been made or guarantees given about the production of Patriot interceptors, and that the security of American technology is of utmost importance.
When asked by CNN if he could immediately build a Patriot battery and interceptor, if he were allowed to ignore intellectual property issues, Dmytro was pessimistic: "No. Definitely not, because it's a very complex process and requires a lot of knowledge, a lot of technical information."
Heorhi, a crew member in the command center, described the gravity of the situation: "It's hard because you see targets flying and threatening the civilian population, critical infrastructure, as well as the families of my comrades and my own family." He added that the feeling of launching an interceptor he described as "something magical."
