Russian ballistic missile destroys Ukrainian Patriot complex (MOD VIDEO)
A Russian Iskander-M operational-tactical missile system has destroyed a US-supplied Patriot air defense system operated by the Ukrainian military, the defense ministry in Moscow has reported.
In a post on its Telegram channel on Thursday, the ministry reported that the strike on a position in Ukraine's Dnepropetrovsk region had taken out a multifunctional AN/MPQ-65 radar, a control unit, as well as two Patriot launchers.
A single air defense battery of this type is estimated to be worth over $1 billion.
Since the escalation of the Ukraine conflict, Kiev has received entire Patriot units and separate constituent parts from the US, Germany, the Netherlands, Romania, and Spain.
However, in March, a spokesperson for Germany's defense ministry acknowledged during a press briefing that Berlin had reached the limit of its capacity in terms of weapons it could provide to Ukraine by emptying out its stocks, including with regards to Patriot air defense systems. The official noted at the time that Berlin had to ensure its own capabilities were adequate.
A month prior, Ukraine's Vladimir Zelensky lamented that his military was running out of missiles for their US-supplied air defense systems. He floated the idea of producing the rockets under license in Ukraine, should direct supplies from Western nations prove unfeasible.
Russia has repeatedly stated that no amount of Western weapons supplied to Kiev can change the course of the conflict, and that these 'donations' needlessly prolong the bloodshed. The Kremlin has also consistently warned that the delivery of ever more sophisticated weaponry to Ukraine could potentially result in an all-out conflict between Russia and NATO.
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