Moscow launched record number of ballistic missiles against Ukraine in January
The Russian military launched 91 ballistic missiles against Ukraine in January 2026, marking the highest monthly figure since the onset of the war, Ukraine’s Ministry of Defence stated.
The ministry said it is working to accelerate the supply of MIM-104 Patriot missiles, described as “the most effective anti-aircraft missile system in service with the Armed Forces of Ukraine.”
The ministry said an agreement was reached on the “urgent delivery of missiles from the stockpiles of European partners” during a recent meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group, also known as the Ramstein format.
Speaking at the Munich Security Conference, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described how Ukraine received interceptor missiles just before Russia’s large-scale combined attack on February 12, enabling Ukrainian forces to shoot down ballistic missiles.
He said that night, Russia launched 24 ballistic missiles and 219 attack drones against Ukrainian cities.
“Our air defense used the missiles that arrived from our partners just a few days earlier. They came on Sunday […] and on Thursday night the missiles were already protecting our skies,” Zelenskyy said.
Zelenskyy explained that this is not the only time that a timely delivery has enabled Ukraine to supply air defense units with missiles at the last moment.
“Honestly, one of the worst things a leader can hear in wartime is a report from the air force commander saying the air defense units are empty and they used their missiles to stop Russian strikes, and there was no resupply. Then intelligence says a new massive attack may come in a day or two. Sometimes we manage to deliver new missiles for our Patriots or NASAMS just before an attack,” the President said.
Separately, Zelenskyy thanked the European countries whose support enables Ukraine to receive air defense missiles. In particular, he thanked Germany, Norway, and the Netherlands for their strong leadership in Europe in providing Ukraine with air defense systems.
Earlier, Zelenskyy criticized Europe at Davos over issues with deliveries of air-defense missiles. NATO insisted there had been no delay in the supply of Patriot missiles, contrary to Zelenskyy’s remarks. NATO later said a number of partners would provide Ukraine with air defense missiles from their own stocks to address the shortfall in supplies from the United States.
On February 1, Zelenskyy stated that Russians had launched more than 6,000 attack drones, around 5,500 guided aerial bombs, and 158 missiles of various types against Ukraine in January.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian experts point out that countries including China, North Korea, Hungary, Slovakia, Iran, and Brazil assist Moscow in killing Ukrainians in its war against Ukraine by funding the Russian budget through trade.
Previously, Reuters reported that China’s Russian oil imports are set to climb for a third straight month to a new record high in February as independent refiners snapped up deeply discounted cargoes after India slashed purchases, according to traders and ship-tracking data. Russian crude shipments are estimated to amount to 2.07 million barrels per day for February deliveries into China, surpassing January’s estimated rate of 1.7 million bpd, an early assessment by Vortexa Analytics shows.
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