The biggest threat to Ukraine's cities is from Russian ballistic missiles, which can strike with little or no warning. This comes as Ukraine struggles to replenish its supply of US-made Patriot air-defense missile interceptors, one of the few weapons capable of knocking down a ballistic missile. Recent Russian air attacks on Ukraine have resulted in high-speed missile attacks on Ukrainian cities and long-range strikes that have claimed hundreds of civilian lives. On one night alone, a barrage of over two dozen ballistic and anti-ship missiles hit the Ukrainian capital region, killing at least 17 people and wounding dozens more. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has pleaded for more interceptors and suggested new sanctions could help. The technology for defeating ballistic missiles has advanced significantly since the Cold War, with the PAC-3 interceptor destroying it with sheer kinetic energy rather than an explosive warhead.