Ukraine is considering forming joint ventures with its allies to strengthen its defenses against ballistic missile threats.

Ukraine is weighing plans to partner with allied nations to jointly develop advanced air defense systems capable of intercepting ballistic missiles, as it grapples with a severe shortage of ammunition for US-made Patriot batteries, Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov said.

Patriot systems have played a crucial role in shielding Ukrainian cities from Russian ballistic missile attacks. These high-speed projectiles travel faster than the speed of sound and cannot be intercepted by most of Ukraine’s other air defense platforms. However, supplies of PAC-3 missiles for the US-manufactured system have fallen to “critical” levels, Fedorov noted.

“Ukraine has significant potential to independently produce counter-ballistic systems and missiles,” he told reporters this week, adding that strengthening air defenses has been his top priority since taking office in mid-January. President Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly criticized delays by Kyiv’s partners in delivering Patriot missiles and other air defense equipment since Russia’s 2022 invasion, revealing that several systems ran out of ammunition at one point in January.

Fedorov said he has discussed the possibility of launching joint air defense ventures with Zelensky. It remains unclear whether formal talks have begun with specific allies or which countries Kyiv is targeting for cooperation.

“This requires a dedicated project — the mathematics is complex and requires time. But Ukraine must develop its own capabilities,” he said.

Starlink cut-off

Fedorov also pointed to what he described as an early achievement in his tenure: securing an agreement from Elon Musk’s company SpaceX to disconnect Russian forces from thousands of Starlink satellite internet terminals that were not on a Kyiv-approved whitelist.

According to Fedorov, Russian battlefield livestream connections dropped elevenfold after the cut-off. “We effectively cut Russia off from this connectivity,” he said.

Starlink terminals are highly resistant to electronic jamming, making them a critical tool for frontline communications and drone operations. Following the disruption, Ukraine observed a significant rise in intercepted radio-frequency communications, which are more vulnerable to interference, he added.