India, Oct. 16 -- The shortage of Patriot interceptors in Ukraine is the latest example of how a US-made air-defence system has become one of the main factors steering active wars and pushing governments from Saudi Arabia to Switzerland to rethink where their protection comes from.

Citing a source, CNN reported on Thursday that Ukraine had run out of Patriot interceptors. The Washington Post reported the same day that Kyiv was down to its last Patriot missiles, as Russia continued striking the country's power grid ahead of winter.

Since the US and Israel went to war with Iran on February 28, interceptors earmarked for Ukraine have gone to the US military and to US allies in the Gulf, Reuters reported in August. Poland and Switzerland ar...