It is the most sought-after weapon in the world, but sits idle, in a cornfield, its cannisters empty, last fired 10 weeks ago.<\/p>\n
The US-made Patriot interceptor is the focus of a global supply crunch as dozens of countries scramble to reinforce their defense systems. It is one of the few weapons that can take down ballistic missiles, in a Gulf torn up by the war with Iran, and especially here, in Ukraine, savaged by Moscow\u2019s near-nightly surge in attacks that made July the deadliest month for civilians since May 2022.<\/p>\n
CNN was the first media outlet to be given access to a Patriot on Ukrainian territory so Ukrainian officials could reveal one fact: the country has pretty much run out of interceptors. CNN agreed not to reveal details of the Patriot model or its location.<\/p>\n
CNN\u2019s Nick Paton Walsh reports from the ground. And CNN\u2019s Christiane Amanpour talks to Evelyn Farkas , the Fmr. US Deputy Asst. Secretary of Defense, on the importance of arming Ukraine against Russia.<\/p>\n
0:00 Why is Ukraine\u2019s air defense system so critical?
\n3:15\u00a0 It could take years to replenish Ukraine\u2019s dwindling stockpile of ammunitions
\n7:11 How the ammunition shortage is affecting the US\u2019 war with Iran<\/p>\n