Why Russia’s strikes on Ukraine are more intense; Germany’s song of the summer

0:00This message comes from Mattress Firm. Sharing a bed doesn't have to mean restless nights. Mattress firm sleep experts can match you with a Tempur-pedic-spin-spir.com. Get a$300 instant gift with purchase. They make sleep easy. Today on State of the World, why Russia's strikes on Ukraine have become more intense, and Germany's Song of the Summer. You're listening to State of the World from NPR. We bring you the day's most vital international stories, up close, where they're happening. I'm Greg Dixon. In a few minutes, the real meaning behind Germany's unbelievably catchy song of the summer. But first, Russia's war in Ukraine.

0:45The Ukrainian defense forces have beaten back many types of Russian attacks during more than four years of war. But recently, there's been a glaring weakness in those defenses from Russian ballistic missiles. Those attacks are repelled by U.S.-made Patriot air defense missiles. Ukraine is desperately short of those. They're not the only ones. Even U.S. supplies are dwindling. From Kiev, NPR's Greg Myrie reports on what the shortage means for Ukraine. Ukrainians are way too familiar with air raid sirens wailing in the middle of the night and with the boom of air defense weapons being launched. These measures have helped protect people.

1:29But in recent weeks, Russia's ballistic missiles are slamming into Ukrainian cities far more often because the country is running out of American-made Patriot air defense missiles. Workers are sweeping up in an apartment building in the western part of Kyiv. The scorched and pockmarked building was hit by a missile just hours earlier, shattering windows, spraying debris and inflicting multiple casualties. I spoke with a resident, Ivan Rinovich, age 24.

2:02There's no question these attacks will continue. The main question is how many more buildings will be hit before our foreign partners give us more help, more Patriot missiles. Ukraine began receiving Patriot air defense batteries three years ago, and this has limited the damage caused by Russian missiles. But Russia has been making and firing more missiles recently, at exactly the same time Ukraine's stocks have dwindled. The Patriot system has really been the main ballistic missile defense system. And it's a really big stockpile problem. And so I don't know if there's any immediate solution. Rob Lee is an American military analyst living in Ukraine and working with the Foreign Policy Research Institute of Philadelphia.

2:44The attack last Saturday showed just how dire the situation is. Russia unleashed 27 ballistic missiles, and Ukraine only shot down one, according to officials. Seven different parts of Kiev were hit. Nine people were killed. more than 30 injured. When facing Russian drones, Ukraine shoots down more than 90 % of them. Air Force spokesman Yuri Anat explains that Ukraine does this in multiple ways. It fires its own interceptor drones. It uses electronic jamming to drive Russian drones off course. And it sends up helicopters and old propeller planes equipped with machine guns to shoot them down.

3:30We use all these different means, and we have to act quickly. The Russians try to exhaust our air defenses with drones and then fire ballistic missiles. But with these missiles, which travel thousands of miles an hour, there's no reliable alternative to the Patriot, first introduced by the U.S. in the 1980s. The U.S. has shared this system with nearly 20 other countries in Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. President Volodymyr Zelensky is pleading with these countries to send some of their missiles to Ukraine. He says they shouldn't be stockpiled for hypothetical scenarios, but used here and now to contain and stop the Russian war.

4:11The U.S. has the largest arsenal. However, President Trump has cut off nearly all military assistance to Ukraine, and the U.S. burned through much of its Patriots stockpile in the Iran war. Mark Montgomery is a retired U.S. Navy rear admiral who comes to Ukraine to help train the military. He says one possible approach in the short term is for Ukraine to use its U.S. F-16 fighter jets to attack the sites where Russia launches the missiles. Instead of trying to defend against every single incoming missile, he says go after the Russian teams firing them. I think there's a great opportunity here to help the Ukrainians strike the ballistic missiles before they launch.

4:55He says this would require modifications to the F-16s, but believes it could be done in weeks. If we can kill their operators, we're going to reduce their launches. Meanwhile, Ukraine is gaining momentum in the war with punishing drone strikes deep inside Russia. But the problem with Russian missiles cannot be ignored, says Rob Lee. This is going to be an enduring challenge for Ukraine where they've a number of good trends, positive trends in the war right now. But this is certainly one of those trends that is still very difficult. Back at the damaged apartment building, workers cut plywood to cover missing windows.

5:30A backhoe loads rubble into a dump truck. A steamroller levels fresh asphalt to repair the damaged street. Ukrainians are briskly efficient in cleaning up after attacks, but what they really want is a defense that keeps these strikes from ever happening. It's NPR's Greg Myrie in Kiev.

5:57A German song has gone viral globally, partially because it's really catchy, as you'll hear, but also because the German refrain sounds a little goofy to ears used to English. It sounds like, From Berlin, Esme Nicholson reveals the real meaning behind that hook.

6:23This is Germany's hit of the summer. The refrain, means you are good enough.

6:34Doobie Scoot Canoe It's performed by singer Ryan Jima and rapper Shirin David, who teamed up with music producer Trio Kitschkrieg. And it's gone viral, reaching millions beyond Germany, despite the language barrier. In fact, the language barrier has generated multiple memes, the best known of which is Doobie Scoot Canoe. But there's also this ringtone version.

7:04There are even memes of memes, with German producer Marty Fischer producing a country version.

7:17But the song's true sentiment gets slightly lost in mistranslation, so here's a quick explainer.

7:29The strong hook of the catchy refrain cuts to Shirin David's rap verses, which sound like a self-doubting inner voice. She sings, I never do myself justice because I'm never fair to myself.

7:45But Ryan Gima's falsetto pierces through the insecure rap again and again. His response is always, you are good enough. It's an anthem for an algorithm-driven world that seems to hold us all to impossible standards, be it lux-maxing or perfect parenting. And it's a consummate earworm in English and in German.

8:11I'm at the piano. See if you can hear the difference when I sing both. Du bist guckener, du bist guckener. But maybe the earworm is intentional. Because it's nothing if not inspiring to hear your own kid belting it out. So now you've heard enough of you're good enough, maybe you believe it too. For NPR News, I'm Esmue Nicholson in Berlin.

8:45That's the State of the World from NPR. Thanks for listening.

8:53The midterms are coming. And if you think the news cycle feels intense now, just wait until the fall. That's why summer is a perfect time to make sure your news diet is calibrated. I mean, Martinez, on Up First, we unpack the three biggest stories every morning so you can stay informed and get on with your day in fewer than 15 minutes. Follow or subscribe to Up First today wherever you get podcasts. Well, it seems like everything is being called a recession indicator these days. Yeah, like the box of Hamburger Helper in my pantry. Or the new Apple Neo book. Or the resurgence of press on nails or lipstick or no lipstick.

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