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Ukraine has received a new German-made IRIS-T air defense launcher as Kyiv seeks more support to counter intensified Russian aerial attacks, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Sunday.
“Yesterday, we received a new IRIS-T launcher,” Zelenskyy said in a statement on X, thanking Germany for what he called its “constant contribution to protecting people.”
“Thousands upon thousands of lives have been saved thanks to such strong support,” he added.
Zelenskyy said Ukraine also needs more missiles for its air defense systems to maintain enough capability to repel Russian attacks.
“We also need missiles for air defense systems so that we have sufficient capabilities to repel Russian attacks,” he said.
The appeal comes as Kyiv warns of shortages in air defense munitions and seeks stronger protection against ballistic missile threats.
The IRIS-T system is not designed to intercept ballistic missiles.
Zelenskyy said Russia launched more than 2,300 attack drones, nearly 1,560 guided aerial bombs and 108 missiles of various types against Ukraine over the past week.
He said the attacks targeted residential buildings and energy facilities.
The IRIS-T is a key part of Ukraine’s layered air defense network, which depends heavily on Western-supplied systems to defend cities and critical infrastructure from Russian strikes.
The launchers carry eight missiles and can be mounted on trucks or tracked vehicles. Depending on the variant, the system can engage targets at ranges of up to 40 kilometers (24.8 miles).
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