Russia is preparing to launch up to 200 ballistic missiles in a single coordinated salvo, according to Robert Brovdi, the officer commanding Ukraine's drone forces. Speaking to the Associated Press on Monday, Brovdi said Moscow currently has the capacity to fire 77 such missiles at once but is working to nearly triple that number.
“Even if they only manage half of that, it will all be flying at us,” he warned. The statement underscores one of Ukraine's most acute vulnerabilities: a shortage of interceptors for the US-made Patriot systems, the only weapon in Kyiv's arsenal capable of shooting down ballistic missiles.
That shortfall means that during mass barrages, dozens of missiles already slip through and hit their targets. While signals from Washington about licensing additional Patriot interceptors have been mixed, Ukrainian forces are being forced to seek alternative solutions. Brovdi argued that the only way to reduce the threat is to strike every facility involved in producing these missiles—the logic behind Ukraine's long-range strikes deep into Russian territory.
Pressure on Crimea
Brovdi's warning comes amid Ukraine's campaign to cut Crimea off from Russian control and sever ground lines of communication. He said his units could strike seven times as many targets on the peninsula if Western funding, already pledged, arrived faster. As it stands, he put his forces' equipment at just 14% of what full capacity would require.
“It's not that the production capacity of Ukrainian manufacturers doesn't allow us to make the necessary quantities,” he explained. “It's the banal problem of untimely financing, which our partners do allocate, but which moves significantly slower than our plans.”
Since the offensive began in late June, Ukrainian forces have hit rail bridges, oil depots, and power infrastructure, disrupting supply lines and destroying more than 300 Russian air defence assets—surface-to-air systems, radar stations, and electronic warfare equipment—to clear a path for drones. The campaign has also targeted the Kerch Strait bridge and other key logistics hubs, complicating Moscow's ability to resupply its forces in southern Ukraine.
Brovdi said Ukrainian intelligence indicated that Russian authorities had since ordered military commands and security services off the peninsula, along with a covert order to remove secret archives and artworks. Such moves suggest Moscow is preparing for a possible loss of control over Crimea, a scenario that would be a major strategic setback for the Kremlin.
Meanwhile, Moscow is working to close the gap. Brovdi said Russia is deploying jamming systems that will partly degrade Starlink connectivity in Crimea and is building its own satellite communication network. He described this as “a risk for the entire planet,” because “a dictatorship will gain access to information across the whole globe.”
The warning comes as Ukraine continues to face relentless aerial attacks. Overnight strikes on the Kyiv region killed three people, including a child, in the latest wave of violence. In the south, a missile attack on Odesa left 13 dead and dozens wounded, while residential areas in Zaporizhzhia were hit by guided bombs.
European allies have responded with additional sanctions and military aid, but Kyiv continues to press for faster delivery of promised systems. The US Senate has passed sweeping sanctions targeting Russian energy revenues, and the EU has added more names to its sanctions list over strikes on Ukrainian cities. Yet Brovdi's comments highlight a persistent gap between pledges and actual delivery on the ground.
Ukraine's drone sector has shown resilience despite political turbulence, but the commander's assessment makes clear that time is not on Kyiv's side. As Russia ramps up its missile production and improves its electronic warfare capabilities, the window for Western action to shift the balance is narrowing.
