Investigative Directorate Against Corruption (IDAC) Head of Investigations Matthews Sesoko has conceded that he was involved in ‘Project Diversion’ and knew of plans to arrest senior Crime Intelligence officials.

‘Project Diversion’ is an IDAC investigation, led by former head advocate Andrea Johnson, into allegations of corruption involving senior Crime Intelligence officials.

Concluding his testimony before the Madlanga Commission on Thursday, Sesoko made the admission after evidence leader Thabang Pooe confronted him with emails showing he had been copied on operational discussions, meeting requests and planning related to the investigation.

“I will concede that I was involved,” Sesoko said.

The concession drew sustained criticism from commission chairperson Mbuyiseli Madlanga and commissioners Sandile Khumalo and Sesi Baloyi, who questioned Sesoko’s leadership and his repeated claims that Johnson had directed the investigations from her office while he remained largely uninvolved.

Madlanga said the documentary record demonstrated Sesoko’s involvement throughout the investigation.

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The Eastern Cape High Court has dismissed the ANC’s applications for leave to appeal a judgment declaring the party’s Provincial Task Team (PTT) in the province unlawful and invalid, leaving the ANC without recognised interim leadership in the Eastern Cape.

The ruling follows legal action brought by ANC members Sinethemba Mpande, Nompumelelo Mzothwa and Lwazi Rotya, who in March obtained an interdict blocking the party’s planned 10th provincial elective conference over alleged membership irregularities and disputes relating to conference processes.

In May, ANC Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula appointed a Provincial Task Team, led by Eastern Cape Premier Oscar Mabuyane, to oversee the party’s affairs in the province pending the convening of a new elective conference.

The three applicants subsequently challenged the appointment of the Mabuyane-led PTT in the Makhanda High Court, arguing that it contravened the Constitution, the ANC’s internal guidelines and their contractual rights as party members.

The High Court ruled in their favour, declaring the PTT unlawful and invalid.

In a statement on Thursday night, the ANC said:

“The ANC notes the judgment delivered by the Eastern Cape Division of the High Court in Makhanda relating to the applications for leave to appeal and the Section 18(2) application arising from the earlier judgment concerning the establishment of the Eastern Cape Provincial Task Team.”

“The ANC has exercised its constitutional right to pursue further legal recourse and will petition the Supreme Court of Appeal.”

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UEFA on Thursday reiterated that it had lost confidence in FIFA president Gianni Infantino and said conditions to withdraw its boycott threat had not been met.

“UEFA’s associations were very clear about the conditions attached to the non participation in FIFA competitions,” it said in a statement. “First, the proposals to sell off the major competitions had to be withdrawn and secondly, assurances have to be made that such attempts to disfigure the game in this way will never be made again.

“These conditions have not been met. In addition, UEFA made it abundantly clear in it’s statement on Saturday that it has lost confidence in Gianni Infantino’s presidency. That position holds.”

FIFA and Infantino tried to present a united front following a high-level summit in Morocco on Wednesday when it announced the president had the full support of those in attendance.

The world governing body also apologized to the FIFA council and member associations for errors and committed to “ensure they do not happen again.”

But UEFA remained dissatisfied and issued a defiant message.

“Yesterday’s announcement that some people employed by the FIFA president (and whose careers depend on his favor) agree with him changes nothing,” it said.

AP

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Organizers for Film at Lincoln Center on Wednesday announced the 32 films selected for its prestigious main slate lineup, all of which will play at the festival running Sept. 25 to Oct. 12. Kicking off the festival will be Gray’s “Paper Tiger,” a Queens-set crime drama starring Adam Driver and Miles Teller.

While few of the festival’s selections will be making their world premiere in New York, one exception is Gilroy’s “Behemoth!” starring Pedro Pascal as a cellist. The festival is making “Behemoth!” its centerpiece gala. Also making its world premiere is Ava DuVernay’s “14th,” a documentary on the much-contested constitutional amendment and a kind of sequel to her “13th” documentary. DuVernay’s latest will close the festival.

In between, the festival’s principle lineup will feature many filmmakers who have previously brought films to the NYFF, including Pedro Almodovar (“Bitter Christmas”), Ryusuke Hamaguchi ( “All of a Sudden” ), Andrew Haigh (“A Long Winter”), Radu Jude (“The Diary of a Chambermaid”), Lee Chang-dong (“Possible Love”), Mike Leigh (“Tender Loving Care”), Pawel Pawlikowski ( “Fatherland” ) and Ira Sachs ( “The Man I Love” ).

Other selections include Chris Rock’s “Misty Green,” which will first premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, William and David Greaves’ acclaimed documentary “Once Upon a Time in Harlem” and Julia Loktev’s “My Undesirable Friends: Part II — Exile,” the continuation of the Russian filmmaker’s sprawling documentary of modern-day dissent in Russia.

“It’s hard to recall a prior main slate program in which the state of the world has been as urgently reflected in so many creative ways,” Dennis Lim, artistic director of the festival, said in a statement. “You could take any cross section of this lineup and come away with a vivid picture of what our present looks, sounds, and feels like. I’m deeply encouraged to be able to introduce New York audiences to works by so many fearless, imaginative directors whose artistry has been inspired by the shared realities of our world.”

On Tuesday, the festival announced that Takashi Yamazaki’s “Godzilla Minus Zero,” his sequel to 2023’s “Godzilla Minus One,” will make its world premiere at the NYFF on Sept. 26.

AP

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The bail application of suspended Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police Department (EMPD) deputy chief Julius Mkhwanazi and his four co-accused, who face charges linked to the 2022 murder of Brakpan businessman Emmanuel Mbense, has been postponed after the Brakpan Magistrate’s Court ruled it could not compel the State to provide the defence with additional information before bail proceedings continue.

Magistrate Collen Mashego on Thursday postponed the matter to 13 August, finding that although several defence lawyers indicated they were ready to proceed, they were effectively seeking further engagement with the prosecution before arguing the bail application.

“I cannot at this stage order the State to provide the defence with the required information. Hence, I’m ordering that this matter be postponed to a date to be arranged so that the defence and the State can engage on the matters,” Mashego said.

The postponement followed extensive arguments by the defence, led by advocate Peter Wilkins, who challenged the State’s classification of the matter as a Schedule 6 offence and argued that the accused could not properly prepare their bail applications without receiving further particulars.

ALSO READ: IDAC Head of Operations says Johnson sidelined safeguards in Crime Intelligence investigations

Wilkins submitted that, based on the provisional charge sheet, the allegations against at least one of the accused did not amount to a Schedule 6 offence.

He told the court the defence had already requested additional particulars from the prosecution but had not received a response, making it impossible to properly assess the State’s case or prepare focused bail applications.

The defence argued that while they were prepared to proceed with the bail application, they could not do so meaningfully without knowing the factual basis on which the State intended opposing bail.

Without those particulars, counsel argued, they would be forced to address every conceivable issue rather than the specific allegations relied on by the prosecution, unnecessarily prolonging proceedings and prejudicing the accused.

The defence further contended that withholding the requested information undermined the accused’s constitutional right to apply for bail.

Wilkins also questioned why the prosecution had elected to oppose bail in this matter when it had not done so in previous Schedule 5 and Schedule 6 cases involving Mkhwanazi.

He said the defence was “perplexed” by the apparent change in approach and argued that the accused were entitled to understand why prosecutors had adopted a different position in the current case.

The defence relied on several court judgments in support of its application, arguing that accused persons are entitled to sufficient information to prepare effective bail applications.

Among the details sought were the specific allegations against each accused, the evidence linking them to the offences, whether the State intended relying on recordings, admissions or confessions, and the precise grounds on which bail would be opposed.

The defence maintained that providing the requested information would enable the court to hear focused affidavits instead of lengthy proceedings conducted “in the dark”.

State prosecutor Velile Makasana opposed the application, arguing that the defence was effectively seeking disclosure of the prosecution’s case before bail proceedings had commenced.

“Perhaps it is actually correct to place on record that everybody kept their cards close to their chest. Now we are before court. We are told about the application,” Makasana said.

He argued that the detailed request for further particulars had only been received on the morning of the hearing and required careful legal consideration.

“It contains so many details. Nobody could even determine those details while striving to court. Any person that will have to respond to that will have to apply his mind and apply the law and come to a decision whether these are going to be furnished to the defence or not,” he said.

Makasana maintained that the Criminal Procedure Act places the onus squarely on accused persons in Schedule 6 matters to demonstrate exceptional circumstances justifying their release.

“The onus is entirely on the shoulders of the defence. We don’t have a duty to disprove what the legislation places before court. The State cannot be compelled. The State will decide at the appropriate time which method the State is going to use going forward,” he said.

The five accused — suspended EMPD deputy chief Julius Mkhwanazi, former EMPD officer Keisha-Leigh Stols, EMPD officer Adrian Mackenzie, former SAPS member Bhekokwakhe Sibande and civilian Cobus Janse van Rensburg — face charges including murder and defeating the ends of justice.

ALSO READ: Mbalula, Lamola deny Dlamini-Zuma’s vote-buying claims, threaten legal action

According to Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) investigator Nomsa Masuku, Mbense disappeared after a police raid on his Boksburg North home on 14 April 2022. His body was discovered the following day at Spaarwater Dam in Duduza, near Nigel.

IPID completed its investigation and referred the matter to the Director of Public Prosecutions in February 2026, while also recommending disciplinary action against the implicated police officials.

The accused are expected to return to the Brakpan Magistrate’s Court on 13 August for the continuation of their bail application.

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The head of investigations and operations at the Investigating Directorate Against Corruption (IDAC), Matthews Sesoko, has defended his decision to stay out of the controversial Crime Intelligence investigations, warning that former IDAC head Andrea Johnson repeatedly bypassed the directorate’s own safeguards and intake processes designed to prevent politically motivated investigations.

Appearing before the Madlanga Commission on Thursday, Sesoko stressed that his concerns were not about whether the CI matters warranted investigation, but rather the manner in which they were handled, and in particular the departure from the established investigation process.

“Even where there is a case to answer, it must be dealt with in accordance with the process; and where the process is not followed, the integrity of the outcome is placed at risk,” he said.

“In these circumstances, rather than insert myself into matters from which I had been excluded, I confined myself to assisting on the discrete issues on which I was asked to assist, and to advising those members of the team who approached me for guidance. I otherwise left the ID, as the head of the unit and my superior, to deal with these matters as she saw fit,” Sesoko added.

He testified that despite occupying one of the unit’s most senior operational positions, he had virtually no involvement in the CI investigations that eventually led to the arrests of several senior police officers.

ALSO READ: Madlanga’s latest referrals target Sibiya, Witness G, Nkosi and Mogotsi

The allegations of corruption, followed a referral from suspended National Coloured Congress MP Fadiel Adams, and is linked to the appointment of Brigadier Dineo Mokwele as head of CI’s Technical Support Services and the housebreaking and robbery of CI CFO Major-General Philani Lushaba.

Sesoko said he found it highly unusual.

“Given the position I hold and the leadership role I ordinarily play, this exclusion was unusual and had not previously occurred in my time at IDAC,” he said.

Instead, he explained, he became involved only on four isolated occasions, including assisting investigator Mantsha Raphesu to obtain CI dockets, attending a meeting regarding reporting to suspended police minister Senzo Mchunu, mediating a dispute between IDAC advocate Drushantha Ramsamy and chief investigator Dylan Perumal, and later dealing with allegations that Raphesu had leaked confidential information.

Throughout his evidence, Sesoko repeatedly contrasted IDAC’s formal operating procedures with what he said happened in practice.

He told the commission that he personally helped develop the unit’s multi-layered case intake system specifically to ensure investigations could not be manipulated or influenced by political or personal interests.

The operations manual, signed by both himself and Johnson in October 2024, required complaints to be assessed collectively before authorisation.

However, Sesoko said those safeguards were never fully implemented.

“The consequence is that the single intake point and the Case Intake Committee were never fully operationalised. In practice, matters continued to be received directly mainly through the IDAC spokesperson, including by the ID herself and were not always routed through the collective assessment that the Manual and the Case Selection Criteria contemplate,” he said.

This stands in stark contrast to Johnson’s testimony, where she previously told the commission the manual was simply a draft.

Sesoko warned that bypassing those structures stripped away the protections designed to ensure objective decision-making.

Sesoko said that unlike other matters, the CI investigations were authorised without his knowledge.

“Whereas with the CI matters I only learned of them when they were already authorised, they were not discussed with me before they were authorised, I did not see Honourable Adams’ section 27 referral either,” he said.

He also described raising concerns with Johnson after learning she intended communicating with then police minister Senzo Mchunu through his chief of staff, Cedrick Nkabinde.

Sesoko testified that he warned Johnson that Nkabinde had allegedly colluded with suspects in an unrelated “Blue Lights” investigation and advised her not to communicate through him, although Johnson nevertheless requested information from him for correspondence to the minister.

Another major focus of his evidence concerned allegations that investigator Mantsha Raphesu had leaked confidential information to Nkabinde.

Sesoko told the commission Raphesu categorically denied ever contacting Nkabinde and immediately volunteered both his cellphone and a polygraph examination.

The polygraph was never conducted after the State Security Agency indicated it did not perform such tests for internal disciplinary matters.

He revealed that, while preparing his evidence for the commission, he contacted the investigating officer, who informed him the recommendation would be to close the case because no evidence implicated Raphesu.

ALSO READ: Anti-illegal immigration activist tells Pakistani shop owners South Africans are ‘not afraid of war’

Explaining why he never forced his way into the CI matters, Sesoko cited previous suspensions and disciplinary battles during his time at the Independent Police Investigative Directorate, together with being kidnapped and robbed in November last year.

Despite his criticisms, Sesoko cautioned against viewing IDAC itself as compromised, describing the CI investigations as “an outlier” and recommending that the commission strengthen the legal status of the unit’s intake procedures to ensure similar departures from process cannot occur again.

The commission continues.

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Southern African states must strengthen coordination and implementation to ensure regional decisions deliver measurable benefits for citizens, the chairperson of the SADC Standing Committee of Senior Officials, Ambassador Tebogo Seokolo, said on Thursday.

Speaking at the Senior Officials Meeting for the 46th Ordinary Summit of SADC Heads of State and Government in Durban, Seokolo said institutional reforms should improve coordination among member states and the SADC Secretariat and increase the effectiveness of regional institutions.

ALSO READ: Madlanga’s latest referrals target Sibiya, Witness G, Nkosi and Mogotsi

The meeting comes as South Africa formally assumes the chairpersonship of the Standing Committee of Senior Officials from August 2026 to August 2027.

Seokolo said the committee’s work extended beyond debating regional issues and included ensuring that the SADC Council of Ministers received strategic, well-considered and implementable recommendations.

He described the committee as a bridge between policy formulation and implementation, saying the quality of its work would influence how quickly regional commitments translated into tangible improvements in people’s lives.

Senior officials are expected to consider reports on the implementation of previous Summit and Council decisions, efforts to strengthen monitoring, evaluation and reporting systems, resource mobilisation and the sustainable financing of the regional bloc.

They will also consider measures aimed at improving the efficiency and effectiveness of SADC institutions.

“Our aspiration for a region that produces what it consumes and trades more extensively within itself remains alive. Therefore, industrialisation remains the cornerstone of our regional efforts to drive economic transformation, create decent employment, and advance shared prosperity.

“These efforts must be complemented by sustained investment in infrastructure development, trade and market integration, food and nutrition security, energy security, climate resilience, social and human development, public health, gender equality, youth empowerment and institutional strengthening – all of which remain at the centre of our regional integration agenda,” Seokolo said.

He said institutional reforms would be central to strengthening implementation and ensuring that decisions taken by SADC institutions produced measurable developmental outcomes across the region.

He said officials had dedicated considerable time to refining a mechanism aimed at rationalising the number and quality of SADC decisions.

He added that SADC had remained a symbol of solidarity, collective self-reliance and regional cooperation for more than four decades.

The organisation’s responsibility was now to preserve that legacy while preparing for future opportunities for people across the region, including farmers, goldsmiths, truck drivers, fishers and small business owners, he said.

“This requires us to strengthen the implementation of our regional programmes, deepen cooperation among our member states, enhance institutional effectiveness and continue building a peaceful, prosperous, resilient and integrated Southern African region.

“This vision must be underpinned by resilient institutions, an ethical organisational culture that promotes transparency and accountability, a professional and committed workforce, and, above all, an Executive Management that unites staff around a common vision and remains fully invested in the affairs, performance and reputation of the organisation.”

ALSO READ: Ramaphosa opposes direct Constitutional Court appeal in Phala Phala impeachment dispute

He said South Africa would approach its leadership role over the next 12 months with humility, a spirit of service and a sense of urgency.

“Together, we must continue to strengthen the foundations of our organisation and advance the aspirations embodied in the SADC Treaty, Vision 2050 and the Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan,” he said.

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The City of Johannesburg is marking Women’s Month with a packed August line-up of sporting events, leadership dialogues, business seminars and wellness activities in various parts of the city.

The programme will run under this year’s national theme, “Empowered Women Empower the Nation”, with a focus on celebrating women’s achievements and expanding opportunities for women and girls.

According to the city, the activities are intended to celebrate women’s achievements, promote healthy lifestyles, advance economic participation and strengthen social cohesion.

ALSO READ: Madlanga’s latest referrals target Sibiya, Witness G, Nkosi and Mogotsi

“Women’s Month is an opportunity for us to celebrate the resilience, achievements and leadership of women while renewing our commitment to building a city where every woman and girl has access to opportunities that enable them to succeed,” said the city’s member of the Mayoral Committee for Community Development, Councillor Thapelo Amad.

The programme officially started on Thursday, with the Community Sport Engagement Day at No. 3 Square in Alexandra, which is aimed at promoting wellness, teamwork and community participation through sport.

On 7 August, the city’s Transport Department will host a virtual Women in Transport celebration, bringing together women professionals and leaders to share their experiences and inspire the next generation of women entering the sector.

Sport will feature prominently throughout the celebrations.

On 8 August, 32 schools will participate in the Girls Football Tournament at Rabie Ridge Stadium. The city said the initiative was designed to promote girls’ participation in sport while restoring dignity through mentorship initiatives and the distribution of sanitary towels.

The tournament is being presented in partnership with the Gauteng Department of Education and the Gauteng Department of Sport, Arts, Culture and Recreation.

Also on 8 August, women from across Johannesburg will participate in the Women’s Fun Walk and Dialogue at Westbank Park in Region E. The event will encourage healthy living while providing a platform for discussions about issues affecting women.

Women’s Day activities on 9 August will include a Women’s Netball and Cricket Event at Elkah Sport Stadium and the Provincial Women’s Celebration at the Field and Study Recreation Centre.

ALSO READ: Anti-illegal immigration activist tells Pakistani shop owners South Africans are ‘not afraid of war’

The provincial celebration will be held under the theme “Empowered Women, Thriving Communities: Together We Build a Brighter Future”.

Community celebrations will also be held in Ennerdale to recognise the contribution of women to Johannesburg’s development.

The programme includes the Gauteng Women’s Tennis Championship from 8 to 9 August, a Women’s Day Netball Tournament on 10 August and the launch of the Waterfall City Half Marathon on 12 August.

A Women’s Empowerment Seminar for women entrepreneurs will take place on 13 August, followed by the Totalsports Women’s Race on 16 August.

Economic empowerment will also form a central part of the programme.

The city’s Department of Economic Development, through the Isiqalo Opportunity Centre and its partners, will host the Women’s Empowerment Seminar to support women entrepreneurs through networking, knowledge sharing and business development opportunities.

Residents will also have opportunities to participate in leadership dialogues, mentorship initiatives and wellness programmes, including Perfecting Her Game, Women Talk, the Johannesburg City Parks and Zoo Women’s Day Dialogue and City Power’s Women’s Month Celebration.

The Empowa Women Leadership Summit will bring together business leaders, entrepreneurs, policymakers and investors to advance women in leadership, innovation and enterprise development.

Other community-focused initiatives include a Women’s Day Tea Party, Healthy Lifestyle Aerobics, an athletics development stakeholder workshop and a literary celebration showcasing Johannesburg’s published women authors and aspiring writers.

South Africa commemorates Women’s Month every August in tribute to the more than 20,000 women who marched to the Union Buildings in Pretoria on 9 August 1956 to protest against the extension of apartheid pass laws to women.

The historic march became a defining moment in the struggle against apartheid and for women’s rights.

“Through sport, entrepreneurship, leadership development, health and community engagement, we are investing in a more inclusive Johannesburg where women continue to shape our city’s future,” Amad said.

The city has encouraged residents to participate in the activities.

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But the system ran for only a few weeks, and now the car-less cables hang unused above Madagascar ‘s capital in what might be a $170 million mistake by one of the world’s poorest countries.

The cable car system in Antananarivo was promoted and inaugurated by former President Andry Rajoelina before he was deposed in a military coup late last year following youth-led protests alleging widespread government failures.

He reasoned it was the best way to end the reliance on aging, overcrowded minibus taxis that create traffic jams stretching for hours, an annoyance for many in the island nation off east Africa. Light rail wouldn’t work because of the area’s marshlands, he said.

“Antananarivo was built for 300,000 inhabitants. Now there are three million of us,” Rajoelina said when the cable cars were unveiled in 2024.

Rajoelina called the system’s opening last year a landmark moment, like France building the Eiffel Tower.

Residents ask why cable cars and not running water
Officials said the cable cars could carry up to 75,000 people a day, take 2,000 vehicles off the roads and cut commutes from up to three hours to about 10 to 30 minutes, depending on the route.

At the unveiling, Rajoelina and his prime minister rode above Antananarivo’s steep hills and tightly packed neighborhoods. But few ordinary Madagascans followed.

The unusual transit system, built over three years for around $173 million with loans from France, has run into a common problem for Africa and its more than 1.5 billion people: affordability.

Officials set the fee for users at between 70 and 90 U.S. cents a trip — six to eight times the price to ride in a minibus. Many people have been unwilling to pay that in a country where the average monthly salary for a commuter is around $72, according to a 2022 report by the World Bank.

Poverty affects around 75% of Madagascar’s population of 30 million people.

Pieter Onderwater, a public transport planning consultant and guest lecturer at the Center for Transport Studies at the University of Cape Town in South Africa, said Madagascar’s government and the cable car system’s French developers may have missed how money is more important than convenience for most people on a poor continent.

“Obviously people will not use it because money is far more key than time,” Onderwater said. “The price is six times higher than a conventional (minibus) taxi? Well then, we just sit in traffic because we know better things to do with that money.”

The cable cars also provoked anger from residents who for years had complained about a lack of basic public services like water and electricity. They questioned why those issues weren’t addressed first.

Some feared being left hanging during a power outage
Residents remain suspicious of the cable car project, which also faced electricity outages that often brought it to a halt.

“In a city where they cannot even fix the roads, how can we trust being more than 20 meters (65 feet) above the ground when there is a power cut?” said Erica, an Antananarivo shop owner who gave only her first name. “And if something goes wrong, how long would it take them to fix it?”

During the coup that removed Rajoelina, some cable car stations were burned or otherwise damaged as people accused the government of being out of touch with their needs.

A transitional government led by coup leader and former army colonel Michael Randrianirina took over in October but has not mentioned any plan for the cable cars. The government did not respond to questions.

A consortium that built the system inspected it in March and submitted findings to Madagascar authorities “to decide on the next steps,” a French company that was part of it told the AP.

Transport is just one problem as Africa urbanizes quickly
Commuting in the capital is becoming more of a challenge.

Antananarivo’s population has increased by more than 10 times since the 1960s, spurred by rural-to-urban migration that is happening across Africa. Africa’s urban population of 700 million people is expected to double by 2050, according to the intergovernmental Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development.

That brings huge demand for more public transport as well as other services like housing, health, education, water and electricity.

And yet Africa has some of the world’s least developed public transport systems despite some of the fastest urbanization rates, according to Transport Africa, a research institution.

Onderwater said African governments have generally left transport to the private sector, which has proved relatively effective with the swarm of minibus taxis known as kombis in South Africa, matatus in Kenya and danfo in Nigeria that carry the vast majority of people to work.

Some commuters in Antananarivo expressed wonder at the thought of being lifted above the daily grind in a cable car, but they were brought back to earth by concerns about cost, reliability, safety during strong storms including cyclones and other practicalities.

Hery Ratsimbazafy, an office worker, said the cable cars — which don’t go right into the city center — simply don’t serve his needs: “It doesn’t help me get where I need to go.”

AP

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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. But Ukraine says it has too few batteries and interceptors to protect itself.

Unlike cruise missiles, which behave like pilotless planes, ballistic missiles are launched like rockets and then dive steeply toward their targets at several times the speed of sound.

That sharply reduces the time available to find and destroy a warhead. The result has been repeated attacks like the latest barrage on the Ukrainian capital that targeted a brewery, a warehouse and a mail-sorting office. At least 17 people were killed and dozens more wounded, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Wednesday.

When the warhead is hurled toward its target, “it’s very, very steep and it’s going at a ridiculous speed,” said Thomas Withington, an expert on electronic warfare at the Royal United Services Institute, who compared the physics to playing catch. If the ball is “going really fast, it’s harder to catch.”

Russia’s ground-launched Iskander-M missile is the Kremlin’s main ballistic missile. Another example is the air-launched Kinzhal missile. Russia has also fired S-300 and S-400 air-defense missiles at ground targets. A model known as the Zircon is technically a hypersonic anti-ship cruise missile, but its high speed resembles that of a ballistic missile and creates a similar interception problem.

Here’s a look at the challenge of shielding Ukraine from some of Russia’s deadliest projectiles.

Patriot system offers some protection

The most capable Patriot system supplied to Ukraine is designed for high-speed missile defense. Instead of exploding near a target, the PAC-3 system uses a maneuverable interceptor designed to collide with an incoming warhead. The Patriot technology must track the missile, predict its path and launch within minutes, sometimes leaving seconds for the final engagement.

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. The United States and its allies operate other anti-ballistic systems, including THAAD and sea-based Aegis defenses, but they have not been provided to Ukraine.

Even Patriot protection is not guaranteed. When a Patriot battery is absent, out of position or short of missiles, most other Ukrainian defenses cannot substitute for it.

Ukraine has too few batteries to shield every city. Russia combines ballistic missiles with cruise missiles, drones and decoys, forcing defenders to track many threats and ration scarce interceptors.

Shortage of interceptors is only a part of a global problem

The interceptor shortage has become more acute as the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran has consumed large numbers of Patriot and THAAD interceptors. An analysis by The Associated Press estimated that the U.S. Patriot inventory had fallen by at least 65% from its prewar level, while the Pentagon said it retained a deep arsenal.

Production cannot immediately close the gap. Lockheed Martin delivered more than 600 PAC-3 MSE interceptors in 2025 and is working toward annual capacity of 2,000 by the end of 2030. NATO says Europe’s first Patriot missile production facility is expected to open in September in Germany.

Political signals from Washington have also shifted. At a NATO summit last month in Turkey, President Donald Trump said the United States would give Ukraine a license to produce Patriots. About three weeks later, he said he had not made a final decision. Even with a license, officials and experts told AP that starting production in Ukraine would take years.

Ukraine aims at the archer instead of the arrow

Ukraine is also trying to destroy Russian missile launchers and infrastructure before missiles can be fired — shooting the archer instead of the arrow.

People familiar with the discussions told AP that Zelenskyy asked Trump to help secure Elon Musk’s permission for Ukrainian forces to use Starlink communications for targeting inside Russia, where Musk has restricted the service.

Such access could help Ukrainian drones hunt launchers and related infrastructure, reducing the number of missiles Patriot batteries must face. The request had not been publicly confirmed by the White House, the Ukrainian Embassy or SpaceX.

Kyiv is also developing Freya, a proposed Ukrainian-led, lower-cost anti-ballistic system intended to reduce dependence on Patriots. Ukraine and nine European countries formed a coalition in July to pursue a shared missile-defense capability, with Zelenskyy saying they could jointly develop a mass-produced system within 12 months. Freya remains under development, and it is unclear when it could become operational.

Following the most recent Russian ballistic attack on Kyiv, 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. He said Ukraine’s partners that are unwilling to increase interceptor deliveries immediately should instead impose new sanctions, noting that a significant share of Russia’s ballistic missile production has been untouched by sanctions.

AP

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