Ukraine is building a patchwork antiballistic defense, one stopgap at a time

KYIV, Ukraine — Ukraine is scrambling to secure enough Patriot interceptors to stop Russian ballistic missiles this winter, piecing together allied stockpile transfers , new production agreements and a homegrown interceptor program as quickly as possible before the cold sets in. The push comes as the world runs short on the weapons Ukraine needs most. U.S. forces in Europe face a “beyond critical” shortage of Patriot interceptors after stocks were moved to the Middle East for the Iran war , a NATO official said in August. Ukraine is also bracing for another winter of Russian strikes on its…