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Here’s why Russia’s missiles are increasingly getting through Ukrainian defenses

Nypost · 🇺🇸 public United States · · 870 words · By Associated Press
Military Technology and Defense Russia-Ukraine Conflict International Relations and Aid
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Here’s why Russia’s missiles are increasingly getting through Ukrainian defenses See more of our coverage in your search results.

Claims checked 14
Techniques found 1
Topics 3

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage
Left0%
Center83%
Right17%

6 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Here’s why Russia’s missiles are increasingly getting through Ukrainian defenses See more of our coverage in your search results.

Why it matters

Add The New York Post on Google KYIV, Ukraine — When Russia fires a ballistic missile at Ukraine, air-defense systems have only minutes — sometimes seconds — to detect and intercept the deadly threat.

Common ground

The lack of time has left Kyiv and other cities increasingly exposed to devastating attacks by the missiles that come down so fast and so steeply that Ukraine says only the U.S.-made Patriot defense system can stop them.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://nypost.com/2026/08/05/world-news/why-russias-ballistic-missiles-are-incr…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 1 propaganda technique in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning
Loaded Language 70% confidence
Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.
Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.
Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 14 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

schedule Pending 4
check_circle Corroborated 4
verified Verified By Reference 2
help Insufficient Evidence 2
verified Verified 1
info Single Source 1
schedule
Claim 1: “Zelenskyy asked Trump to help secure Elon Musk’s permission for Ukrainian forces to use Starlink communications for targeting inside Russia”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
schedule
Claim 2: “At a NATO summit last month in Turkey, President Donald Trump said the United States would give Ukraine a license to produce Patriots.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
verified
Claim 3: “Lockheed Martin delivered more than 600 PAC-3 MSE interceptors in 2025”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
While evidence mentions a Lockheed Martin contract in May 2025 for the RIG-360 system, there is no evidence provided confirming the delivery of 'more than 600 PAC-3 MSE interceptors in 2025'.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Lockheed Martin Corporation is an American defense and aerospace manufacturer. It is headquartered in North Bethesda, Maryland, United States. The company was formed by the merger of the Lockheed …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lockheed_Martin
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The MIM-104 Patriot is a mobile interceptor missile surface-to-air missile (SAM) system, the primary such system used by the United States Army and several allied states. It is manufactured by the U.S…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MIM-104_Patriot
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Mark 41 vertical launching system (Mk 41 VLS) is a shipborne missile canister launching system which provides a rapid-fire launch capability against hostile threats. The vertical launching system …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_41_vertical_launching_sys…
+ 3 more evidence sources
schedule
Claim 4: “Zelenskyy said Ukraine received only one-third as many air-defense missiles in the first half of 2026 as in the same period last year.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
schedule
Claim 5: “Ukraine and nine European countries formed a coalition in July to pursue a shared missile-defense capability”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
check_circle
Claim 6: “At least 17 people were killed and dozens more wounded [in the latest barrage on the Ukrainian capital], President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Wednesday.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple web search results confirm President Zelenskyy reported a heavy strike on Kyiv involving ballistic missiles and drones, with one specific source explicitly mentioning 'at least 17' killed.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — According to Ukrainian government officials and news sources, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy has survived dozens of assassination and kidnapping attempts by Russian or pro-Russian agents dur…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assassination_attempts_on_Volo…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — On 20 May 2019, Volodymyr Zelenskyy was inaugurated as the sixth president of Ukraine, commencing his first and currently only term, which is still ongoing due to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inauguration_of_Volodymyr_Zele…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Volodymyr Oleksandrovych Zelenskyy (born 25 January 1978) is a Ukrainian politician and former entertainer who has served as the sixth president of Ukraine since 2019. He took office five years after …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volodymyr_Zelenskyy
+ 3 more evidence sources
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Claim 7: “Patriots are currently the only system in Ukrainian service able to intercept the Russian Iskander-M, S-400 and Zircon missiles, according to Ukrainian Air Force spokesman Yurii Ihnat.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple web search results attribute the statement to Ukrainian Air Force spokesperson Yurii Ihnat, stating that Patriots are the only system capable of intercepting Iskander-M, S-400, and Zircon missiles.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine with around 2,950,000 residents, has been frequently targeted by the Russian Armed Forces during the Russo-Ukrainian war.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kyiv_strikes_(2022–present)
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The MIM-104 Patriot is a mobile interceptor missile surface-to-air missile (SAM) system, the primary such system used by the United States Army and several allied states. It is manufactured by the U.S…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MIM-104_Patriot
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — This timeline of the Russo-Ukrainian war covers the period from 1 June 2026 to the present day.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_the_Russo-Ukrainia…
+ 3 more evidence sources
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Claim 8: “Russia has also fired S-300 and S-400 air-defense missiles at ground targets.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple independent web search results explicitly state that Russia has used S-300 and S-400 air-defense systems to strike ground targets in Ukraine.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The S&P 400 (S&P MidCap 400 or Standard and Poor's 400) is a stock market index tracking the stock performance of 400 companies listed on stock exchanges in the United States that are considered to ha…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S&P_400
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The S-300 (NATO reporting name SA-10 Grumble) is a series of long-range surface-to-air missile systems developed by the former Soviet Union. It was produced by NPO Almaz for the Soviet Air Defence For…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S-300_missile_system
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The S-400 Triumf (Russian: C-400 Триумф – Triumf; translation: Triumph; NATO reporting name: SA-21 Growler), previously known as the S-300 PMU-3, is a mobile surface-to-air missile (SAM) system develo…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S-400_missile_system
+ 3 more evidence sources
verified
Claim 9: “Russia’s ground-launched Iskander-M missile is the Kremlin’s main ballistic missile.”
VERIFIED
Multiple sources, including Wikipedia and Missile Threat, identify the Iskander-M as a primary ground-launched ballistic missile in Russia's arsenal.
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web search NEUTRAL — Iskander-M launched in 2018. The Iskander-M system is equipped with two solid-propellant single-stage guided missiles, model 9M723K1. The missiles are controlled throughout the entire flight path and …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/9K720_Iskander
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web search NEUTRAL — Photo: Russia MoD. Comparison of Iskander ballistic and cruise missile launchers.Cruise Missile Developments and INF Treaty Violation. Through the 2000s, Russia has fitted Iskander TELs with ground-la…
https://missilethreat.csis.org/missile/ss-26-2/
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web search NEUTRAL — Iskander ballistic missiles are a key component of Russia’s military arsenal and have been used extensively by Russia during the conflict.The Kalibr missile is Russia’s most advanced cruise missile, a…
https://aoav.org.uk/2023/russias-dirty-dozen/
info
Claim 10: “Another example is the air-launched Kinzhal missile.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The provided evidence for this claim consists of general Wikipedia entries about the history and geography of Russia, which do not mention the Kinzhal missile.
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web search NEUTRAL — Russia continues to rank very low in measurements of democracy, human rights and media freedom, while having high levels of corruption. As the successor state of the Soviet Union, it retains its seat …
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russia
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web search NEUTRAL — The history of Russia begins with the histories of the East Slavs. [1][2] The traditional start date of specifically Russian history is the establishment of the Rus' state in the north in the year 862…
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Russia
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web search NEUTRAL — Russia (Russian: Россия, romanized: Rossiya, [rɐˈsʲijə]), or the Russian Federation, [c][16] is a country spanning parts of Eastern Europe and North Asia. It has land from the Baltic Sea to the Bering…
https://simple.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russia
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Claim 11: “An analysis by The Associated Press estimated that the U.S. Patriot inventory had fallen by at least 65% from its prewar level”
CORROBORATED
Two independent web search results cite an Associated Press (AP) analysis estimating that U.S. Patriot inventories fell by at least 65% from prewar levels.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Events in the year 2026 in Bahrain.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_in_Bahrain
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The New England Patriots (colloquially known as the Pats) are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. The Patriots compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a me…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_England_Patriots
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Patriot Front is an American white supremacist group. Part of the broader alt-right movement, the group split off from the neo-Nazi organization Vanguard America in the aftermath of the Unite the Righ…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patriot_Front
+ 3 more evidence sources
verified
Claim 12: “A model known as the Zircon is technically a hypersonic anti-ship cruise missile”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
Wikipedia and other technical sources explicitly define the 3M22 Zircon as a hypersonic cruise missile designed for anti-ship and land-attack missions.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Learn about the Russian hypersonic missile Zircon, its design features, speed capabilities, and the ongoing controversies surrounding its true hypersonic nature.
https://news.online.ua/en/russia-for-the-first-time-showed-t…
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web search NEUTRAL — Anti-ship missile Hypersonic cruise missile Submarine-launched cruise missile Land-attack missile.The 3M22 Zircon, also spelled Tsirkon (Russian: Циркон. , NATO reporting name: SS-N-33),[9] is a Russi…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3M22_Zircon
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The 3M22 Zircon (also known as Zircon or Tsirkon) is a nuclear-capable hypersonic cruise missile developed by Russia.The 3M22 Zircon, NATO code-named SS-N-33, is a hypersonic cruise missile designed t…
https://www.armyrecognition.com/military-products/army/missi…
help
Claim 13: “Lockheed Martin... is working toward annual capacity of 2,000 by the end of 2030.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found in the provided search results regarding Lockheed Martin's production capacity goals for 2030.
help
Claim 14: “NATO says Europe’s first Patriot missile production facility is expected to open in September in Germany.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found in the provided search results regarding a NATO-announced Patriot production facility opening in Germany in September.
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.