Ukrainian officials reported on Thursday that a Russian strike caused a fire at the Danube River port of Izmail in the Odesa region. The report came as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy publicly requested additional Patriot interceptor missiles from the United States, citing an increase in Russian ballistic missile attacks.
The Izmail Regional State Administration announced the strike on the Telegram messaging app on August 13, 2026. According to the statement, Russian forces targeted “port infrastructure,” resulting in damage and a fire. Emergency services were dispatched to the location. The port of Izmail, situated near the border with Romania, is a key hub for exporting grain and other goods via the Danube River.
In a separate development, President Zelenskyy stated in an interview with CNN that Ukraine requires a larger supply of U.S.-made Patriot interceptor missiles. He said that receiving five percent of the United States’ current stockpile would be sufficient to defend the country through the upcoming winter.
“If they sell us 5 percent, we will go through the winter and save people’s lives,” Zelenskyy said. He added, “If they can sell us 10 percent, we will destroy all the Russians’ ballistic missiles.”
Zelenskyy told the news outlet that Ukraine has fewer interceptors this year compared to 2025, while stating that Russia is using a greater number of ballistic missiles in its monthly attacks. Ukrainian officials have previously reported a shortage of air defense systems, attributing the scarcity in part to a diversion of supplies following the start of a conflict involving the U.S. and Iran in February.
Ballistic missiles are considered more difficult to intercept than cruise missiles or drones due to their high speed and steep flight trajectory.
Coinciding with these events, Ukraine’s air force announced a change in its public reporting on Russian missile strikes. In a Facebook post on Wednesday, air force communications chief Yurii Ihnat said the military would no longer publish detailed figures on the number of Russian ballistic missiles launched or intercepted.
Ihnat clarified that the new policy concerns “the number of targets launched, shot down, suppressed or those that failed to reach their targets.” He confirmed that real-time air raid warnings would not be affected and that the air force would continue to provide generalized statistics on Russian missile launches.
Last month, reports indicated that Russia launched over 450 missiles at Ukraine, with nearly 200 of them on ballistic trajectories. When asked by CNN if the U.S. had responded to his request for interceptors, Zelenskyy said he was pursuing multiple avenues to secure the systems.
