SCOTT SIMON, HOST:
Ukraine is facing a summer of increasing Russian airstrikes on its cities as Russian advances on the frontlines. Moscow is rebuffing President Trump's calls to end the war. Ukraine is trying to slow down the attacks by striking at Russia's war machine. Ukrainian President Zelenskyy spoke to President Trump by phone on Friday and says his country needs air defense munitions to protect itself. The Pentagon is holding up some of those supplies. NPR's Joanna Kakissis is in Kyiv. Joanna, thanks for being with us.
JOANNA KAKISSIS, BYLINE: Thanks for having me on the show, Scott.
SIMON: And massive airstrikes again on Friday. The Ukrainian Air Force says the largest since the beginning of the full-scale invasion. How exactly do Ukrainians protect themselves, or try to?
KAKISSIS: So Ukrainian cities use air defense systems. They're a combination of Western and Soviet-era equipment and weapons to shoot down Russian missiles and drones. And during Friday's airstrikes, Russia launched 539 attack drones and 11 missiles. Most were focused here on Kyiv.
(SOUNDBITE OF DRONES BUZZING)
KAKISSIS: And large drones equipped with explosives actually flew over our neighborhood. They - to me, they sound like mopeds or like a horde of angry mosquitoes. And here Ukraine's air defense is trying to shoot them down.
(SOUNDBITE OF AIR DEFENSE SYSTEMS FIRING)
KAKISSIS: So you're hearing the work of mobile air defense units. These are basically guys on trucks firing mounted machine guns at the drones. Later, I heard the thud of air defense batteries, which are used to launch antiaircraft missiles. The most sophisticated antiaircraft system used by Ukraine is the Patriot, which is U.S.-designed. Now, Patriots can detect and shoot down even hypersonic missiles.
SIMON: And, Joanna, could Ukraine's air defenses shoot down all the drones or missiles?
KAKISSIS: Well, on Friday, they did not, and they often cannot. About 60 drones on Friday got through and they hit apartment buildings, businesses, railway infrastructure, they caused fire and a lot of damage. And in the morning, there was this pungent burning smell everywhere. And considering the scale of this attack, the number of casualties was actually smaller than usual. One person was killed and more than 20 injured. But Ukrainians that we spoke to say surviving airstrikes is like a lottery. Each one could mean death.
SIMON: And Joanna, if these Russian airstrikes continue and increase as predicted, does Ukraine have enough stockpiles to keep up its air defense?
KAKISSIS: Well, that's a big concern, especially with the antiaircraft systems. Ukraine needs missiles for their air defense batteries, which the U.S. supplies. These are included in a U.S. shipment of munitions that was already en route to Ukraine until the Pentagon unexpectedly halted it last week. Now, our colleague, Pentagon correspondent Tom Bowman, was told that the shipment was stopped in Poland. The Pentagon says its stockpile of air defense missiles is running low. Ukrainian security analyst Hanna Shelest told me she is baffled by this public statement.
HANNA SHELEST: It will mean quite a negative for the U.S. reputation in the world because what it says about the U.S. capability. So they're sending the signal how weak they are.
KAKISSIS: Now, Scott, Ukraine has been trying to hit Russia's war machine to at least slow down Russian attacks. Today, Ukraine's Air Force, it had bombed a Russian airfield where fighter jets that are used in airstrikes are stored.
SIMON: And President Zelenskyy did speak by phone with President Trump and brought up their air defense needs. Do we know about the outcome?
KAKISSIS: Well, Zelenskyy said in a statement after the call that the two leaders would, quote, "work together" to protect Ukraine's skies and maybe team up for joint defense production, but there aren't any firm commitments, at least yet. And Ukrainians need reliable supplies right now, especially since the Kremlin is not heeding President Trump's call to end the war anytime soon. Friday's massive airstrikes, for example, came after Trump spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin. So Russian troops are pushing on the frontline, striking Ukrainian cities much more often, and Ukraine insists it will struggle to defend itself on its own.
SIMON: Joanna Kakissis, thanks so much.
KAKISSIS: You're welcome. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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