Zelenskyy Warns Of Imminent Russian Barrage After Renewed U.S. Patriot Plea
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned Friday that Ukraine is bracing for "big attacks" by Russia on the night of May 29 or May 30, involving drones plus cruise and ballistic missiles.[1]
He also renewed an urgent plea for more U.S. Patriot PAC-3 missiles and other air-defense ammunition to fill what he called Ukraine's anti-ballistic deficit.[2] Zelenskyy urged civilians — especially children — to be "very, very careful" and to use bomb shelters during the expected assaults.[1]
On Sunday, May 24, Zelenskyy said Russia launched roughly 600 drones plus dozens of cruise and ballistic missiles at Kyiv, killing two and wounding 83.[1] He said Ukraine used all available defensive weapons during that barrage and called anti-ballistic capabilities its "biggest deficit." CBS News On Wednesday, May 27, Kyiv disclosed that Zelenskyy sent a letter to President Trump and Congress asking for more U.S. air-defense ammunition, including Patriot PAC-3 missiles.[2] The Associated Press, which obtained the letter, warned deliveries are falling dangerously short because the Iran war is diverting U.S. stocks.[2]
Zelenskyy also wrote that Ukraine now intercepts more than 90% of incoming drones and that Ukrainian specialists have helped strengthen air defenses in Gulf Arab states and at U.S. bases in the Middle East.[2]
Recent incidents outside Ukraine included a drone strike that hit an apartment building in Galați, Romania and another that struck a Turkish-owned cargo ship in the Black Sea.[1] President Vladimir Putin said the origin of the Romanian drone could not be determined until wreckage was examined, while NATO condemned the strikes and the U.S. ambassador to NATO publicly pledged support for Romania.[1]
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📌 Key Facts
- On Wednesday, May 27, 2026, Kyiv disclosed that Zelenskyy sent a letter to President Trump and Congress asking for more American-made air-defense ammunition, specifically Patriot PAC-3 missiles and other systems, to counter intensifying Russian ballistic missile attacks.
- The Associated Press — which obtained the letter — warned deliveries of U.S. air-defense weapons to Ukraine are falling dangerously short because the Iran war is diverting U.S. stocks.
- Zelenskyy wrote that Ukraine now intercepts more than 90% of incoming drones and that Ukrainian specialists have helped strengthen air defenses in Gulf Arab states and at U.S. military bases in the Middle East.
- He said Ukraine cannot yet produce its own anti-missile defense systems and relies “almost exclusively on the United States,” adding that seeing Patriot batteries without missiles loaded is “hardly anything more painful” for a nation fighting for survival.
- PBS reported that Russia fired almost 90 missiles plus hundreds of drones at Kyiv over the preceding weekend in late May 2026 as part of intensified attacks aimed at overwhelming Ukrainian air defenses.
- On Friday, May 29, 2026, Zelenskyy told CBS’s Face the Nation that Ukraine is bracing for “big attacks” by Russia on the night of May 29 or May 30 involving drones plus cruise and ballistic missiles.
- He urged civilians — especially children — to be “very, very careful” and use bomb shelters during the expected assaults, saying the likelihood of attack was a “high percent.”
- Zelenskyy tied his renewed plea for additional U.S. Patriot systems to an “especially cruel massive attack” on Sunday, May 24, 2026, when Russia launched about 600 drones and dozens of cruise and ballistic missiles at Kyiv, killing two and wounding 83; he said Ukraine used all available defensive weapons and called anti-ballistic capabilities its “biggest deficit.”
- Recent incidents beyond Ukraine included a drone strike that hit an apartment building in Galați, Romania and another that struck a Turkish-owned cargo ship in the Black Sea; Putin said the Romanian drone’s origin could not be determined until wreckage is examined, while NATO condemned the events and the U.S. ambassador to NATO, Matthew Whitaker, publicly pledged support for Romania.
📰 Source Timeline (3)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
- On Friday, May 29, 2026, Zelenskyy told CBS’s “Face the Nation” that Ukraine is bracing for “big attacks” by Russia on the night of May 29 or May 30, involving drones plus cruise and ballistic missiles.
- Zelenskyy said Ukrainian civilians, especially children, should be “very, very careful” and use bomb shelters during the expected assaults, calling the likelihood of attack a “high percent.”
- He linked his renewed request for additional U.S. Patriot missile systems to what he described as an “especially cruel massive attack” on Sunday, May 24, 2026, in which Russia launched about 600 drones and dozens of cruise and ballistic missiles at Kyiv, killing two and wounding 83.
- Zelenskyy said Ukraine used all available defensive weapons, including anti-ballistic missiles, during the May 24–25 barrage and called anti-ballistic capabilities Ukraine’s “biggest deficit.”
- The article notes a recent Russian drone incursion that struck an apartment building in Galați, Romania, and another drone strike on a Turkish-owned cargo ship in the Black Sea, both involving NATO members but not yet formally attributed to Russia by the U.S. government.
- Zelenskyy asserted that Putin is using such attacks to pressure NATO neighbors and test their air defenses, and he called for a stronger, unified NATO response to Russian behavior.
- The piece reports that, in a Friday press conference, Putin claimed the origin of the Romanian drone could not be determined until wreckage is examined, as some NATO states already attribute the strike to Russia.
- NATO condemned Russia’s “reckless behavior” and reiterated that it would defend every inch of allied territory, and U.S. Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker publicly posted support for Romania and a pledge to defend NATO territory.
- On Wednesday, May 27, 2026, Kyiv disclosed that Zelenskyy sent a letter to President Trump and Congress asking for more American-made air defense ammunition, specifically Patriot PAC-3 missiles and other systems, to counter intensifying Russian ballistic missile attacks.
- The letter, obtained by the Associated Press, warns that deliveries of U.S. air-defense weapons to Ukraine are falling dangerously short because the Iran war is diverting U.S. stocks.
- Zelenskyy writes that Ukraine now intercepts more than 90% of incoming drones and that Ukrainian specialists have helped strengthen air defenses in Gulf Arab states and at U.S. military bases in the Middle East.
- He says Ukraine cannot yet produce its own anti-missile defense systems and therefore relies "almost exclusively on the United States," adding that seeing Patriot batteries without missiles loaded is "hardly anything more painful" for a nation fighting for survival.
- The article notes that Russia fired almost 90 missiles plus hundreds of drones at Kyiv over the preceding weekend in late May 2026, as part of intensified aerial attacks aiming to overwhelm Ukrainian air defenses.