Patriot air defense systems have already saved thousands of lives in Ukraine – NYT
Photo: defence-ua.com
The systems of the Patriot anti-aircraft missile complex successfully repel ballistic missiles of the Russian Federation, which could cause massive losses and destruction.
The New York Times reports this.
As the publication said, their journalist spoke with Ukrainian military man Volodymyr, who works with the Patriot complex.
Due to the sensitivity of his unit's work, the military asked to be identified only by his name.
The Ukrainian defender told how on December 11 at 4 a.m., the radar detected an anomaly, and later, it turned out to be a Russian ballistic missile flying in the direction of Kyiv.
At a time when millions of people were sleeping in their homes, and there was no time to sound the alarm, Ukrainian troops fired several American Patriot missiles.
It should be noted that this night was successful for the Ukrainian Air Defense Forces. Then, on the night of December 11, explosions rang out in Kyiv, and after them, an air alert was announced.
"Considering that ballistic missiles cause the most casualties, I think that the number of lives saved during the war is in the thousands," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky emphasized at the time.
As noted in the publication, White House and Pentagon officials have warned that the United States will soon be unable to maintain Ukrainian Patriot batteries with interceptor missiles, which may cost $2-4 million per piece.
Volodymyr recalls that when the first ballistic missile was shot down – on May 4 – everyone was amazed, but after that, "confidence in the equipment increased."
In May and June, during one of the most massive attacks using drones, cruise missiles, ballistic and hypersonic missiles, two Ukrainian Patriot batteries shot down all 34 ballistic missiles fired by Russia at Kyiv, according to a report by the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
According to the military, the complex is constantly moved from place to place, so the Russians do not find out where the installation is.
"We managed to create a shield over the state thanks to our foreign partners.
But if our foreign partners turn their backs on us, we will return to the beginning of the war, when people simply did not come out of their shelters, and the Russians tried to turn our cities into complete ruins," Zelensky emphasized.
On January 2, according to the information of the Kyiv City State Administration, the air defense forces hit all Shahed-type attack drones, more than 60 X-101/X555X-55 missiles, and a dozen Kinzhal missiles in the Kyiv area.
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It should be noted that the USA has run out of money intended to finance military aid to Ukraine. In this regard, President Joe Biden asked Congress for more than 100 billion dollars, which includes more than 60 billion dollars for Ukraine.
Congress is currently divided over the package, with Republicans pushing to include proposals to strengthen border security, particularly with Mexico.
Biden's request has so far not been approved due to political disputes and Republicans' unwillingness to vote for it until their initiatives are included in the package.
In turn, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Dmytro Kuleba, commented on the delay in military aid to Ukraine: Western countries will continue military support to Ukraine, so there is no alternative plan B in case of its termination.
It is noteworthy that Germany, the Netherlands, Romania, and Spain will jointly purchase about 1,000 missiles for the Patriot anti-aircraft missile systems.
