The ministry said the intensity of enemy attacks had remained at record levels for several consecutive months. In May, Ukraine’s air defence forces intercepted 7,588 drones and missiles.
According to the figures, Russia launched 8,150 Shahed, Gerbera, Italmas and other unmanned aerial vehicles in May, of which 7,476 were intercepted. That represented an interception rate of 91.73%.
Russia also launched 211 cruise and ballistic missiles, of which 112 were intercepted. The interception rate for those missile attacks was more than 53%, while the overall interception rate for aerial targets during large-scale attacks reached 90.75%.
The missiles destroyed in May included two Kh-47M2 Kinzhal aeroballistic missiles, which the ministry described as exceptionally difficult to intercept. Ukraine’s air defences also intercepted 50 Kh-101 cruise missiles, 10 Iskander-M/KN-23 ballistic missiles, 11 Kalibr cruise missiles, 14 Kh-59/69 guided air-launched missiles and 24 Iskander-K cruise missiles.
The ministry said Ukraine’s air defenders continued to achieve results unmatched by any other military. It also warned that air-raid alerts must never be ignored and said people should remain in shelters whenever air defence forces are repelling enemy attacks.
One of the largest attacks took place overnight into May 13 and lasted for more than 30 hours. The ministry said Russia attempted to overwhelm Ukraine’s air defence system through multiple waves of strikes.
During that attack, Russia used 1,567 drones and 56 missiles of various types. Ukraine’s air defence forces achieved an interception rate of 93% for drones and 72% for missiles, according to the ministry.
The ministry said Ukrainian air defence units operated almost without interruption during the May 13 attack. They paused only briefly to restore operational readiness, reload equipment and allow personnel short periods of rest.
Another major and complex attack took place overnight into May 24. The ministry said it was characterised by the use of numerous air attack assets with different flight characteristics, launched in several waves and flying almost simultaneously.
During that attack, Russia launched 600 UAVs of various types, 30 conventional ballistic missiles, Kinzhal and Tsirkon missiles, more than 50 cruise missiles and two Oreshnik intermediate-range ballistic missiles. The ministry said Kinzhal and Tsirkon missiles also follow ballistic flight trajectories.
Despite the complexity of the May 24 attack, Ukrainian air defenders intercepted 91% of the drones and more than half of all missiles launched. The ministry said the results showed that Ukraine’s air defence continued to protect the population and critical infrastructure even under record pressure.
“Every missile and drone intercepted means civilian lives saved, less destruction, and a significant blow to the enemy’s plans,” the ministry said. It added that Ukraine urgently needs additional missiles capable of intercepting ballistic threats because of the record operational strain on its air defence forces.
Ukraine is relying on support from partners to procure PAC-3 missiles for Patriot air defence systems capable of intercepting ballistic missiles. The ministry said the issue was discussed with partners ahead of the next Ukraine Defence Contact Group meeting in the Ramstein format, scheduled for June.
The ministry said it had earlier provided an overview of the characteristics of North Korean KN-23 and KN-24 ballistic missiles used by Russia in attacks against Ukraine. It also said newly available information indicated that Russia had modified the Kh-101 cruise missile at least three times.
