Air defense intercepted nearly 5,300 missiles and drones in June, almost 90% – Defense Ministry
Ukrainian air defense continues to demonstrate a consistently high interception rate of aerial targets — about 90%.
This was reported by the Defense Ministry, Censor.NET reports.
According to daily reports from the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, during mass attacks in June 2026, the enemy used almost 6,000 drones and missiles, compared with more than 8,300 in May.
Air defense work in June
Throughout June, Ukrainian air defense intercepted nearly 5,300 aerial attack weapons.
In particular, 90% of Shahed, Gerbera, Italmas and other drones were shot down, as well as 40% of ballistic missiles and 89.4% of missiles of other types.
The overall interception rate of aerial targets during mass enemy strikes was 89%.
Largest attacks in June
- On the night of June 2, during a many-hour attack, the enemy used eight Zircon anti-ship missiles, 33 Iskander-M ballistic missiles, 32 Kh-101 and Kalibr missiles, as well as more than 650 attack drones.
The enemy tried to overload air defense as much as possible, but Ukrainian forces operated with high efficiency: 92% of UAVs and 90% of cruise missiles were shot down. Among the most difficult targets to intercept — ballistic missiles — 11 out of 41 were shot down.
- The enemy attack on the night of June 15 was roughly similar in scale: six Zircon anti-ship missiles, 34 Iskander-M ballistic missiles, 30 Kh-101/Iskander-K cruise missiles and 611 attack drones were used.
Despite the complexity of the mass aerial attack, half of the ballistic missiles, 95% of drones and all cruise missiles launched at Ukraine were intercepted.
Ballistic missiles
The Defense Ministry emphasizes that ballistic missiles remain the greatest threat. Intercepting them requires modern missile defense systems such as Patriot, of which there are limited numbers in the world. Ukraine, together with its international partners, is systematically working to expand air defense capabilities — from obtaining new systems and interceptor missiles to developing other elements of layered defense.
