July 31, 2026 | The Washington Post
The fastest way to help Ukraine stop Russia’s missile threat
Ukraine's F-16s could hunt ballistic-missile launchers within weeks — if Washington unlocks one capability.
July 31, 2026 | The Washington Post
The fastest way to help Ukraine stop Russia’s missile threat
Ukraine's F-16s could hunt ballistic-missile launchers within weeks — if Washington unlocks one capability.
Excerpt
Russia bombarded Ukraine last weekend with one of the largest ballistic-missile barrages of the entire war. The attack — which wrought havoc across Kyiv — is part of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s campaign to grind down a free people’s will to resist.
“Protection against ballistic missiles is our constant and top priority,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky declared after the barrage. Yet so long as Ukraine must rely on only a porous shield of air defenses, the country will remain vulnerable. Ukraine must be able not only to deflect Russian arrows, but also to shoot the archers.
Mark Montgomery, a retired Navy rear admiral, is senior director of the Center on Cyber and Technology Innovation at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.