Zelensky thanks Germany for Iris-T air defence system launch pad

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sunday that Ukraine has received a new launch pad for the Iris-T air defence system from Germany.

“We thank Germany for its contribution to the protection of our people,” he wrote on Telegram, saying thousands of lives had been saved thanks to Berlin’s “significant assistance.”

Germany has not yet officially confirmed the delivery. A spokesman for the Defence Ministry in Berlin said it does not communicate plans or deliveries of military support to Ukraine as a matter of principle, citing military and operational security.

Germany has already supplied several of the short-range Iris-T systems to Ukraine – as of 2025, the total stood at seven.

In his post on Telegram, Zelensky said Russia deployed around 2,300 drones, 1,560 guided glide bombs and 108 missiles against Ukraine this week alone. This necessitates a constant supply of air defence missiles, the Ukrainian president emphasized.