Ukrainian officials, drone industry executives, and national security experts are bracing for another extremely difficult winter, fearing that Russian attacks on energy infrastructure could pose the most severe challenge of the war to date. Russia has recently intensified its missile strikes on Ukrainian cities, possibly aiming to exploit Kyiv's shortage of ballistic missile interceptors. Ukrainian President Zelenskyy emphasized the importance of ensuring the country's energy and infrastructure are fully operational and reliably protected for the upcoming heating season. Donald Trump stated on July 30 that he has not yet decided whether to allow Ukraine to produce Patriot surface-to-air interceptor missiles, adding new uncertainty to one of Ukraine's most pressing needs.