US confirms Patriot air defence system in Ukraine is "in operating condition" – AFP

Wednesday, 17 May 2023, 21:46

Although the Patriot anti-aircraft missile system was damaged during the missile attack on Ukraine, it remains in working order.

Source: a US defence official told the AFP agency on Wednesday, as European Pravda reports

Quote: "The Patriot system remains in working order," the official said, adding that damage caused by an unidentified projectile that fell near it is still being assessed.

Details: Yuriy Ihnat, Ukrainian Air Force spokesman, said in a comment to AFP that the air defence system is "in service". "It’s fine," he added.

Against this background, on Wednesday evening, the Russian Defence Ministry decided to report that they "completely destroyed" five launchers of the American Patriot air defence system.

Previously, the media reported about damage to the Patriot air defence system during the Russian attack on Tuesday night. Ukraine and the United States began discussing how best to fix the system.

According to CNN sources, the damage can probably be repaired on-site without having to move the unit to the United States.

Patriot is considered one of the most advanced US air defence systems, including against aircraft, cruise and ballistic missiles. It usually includes launchers along with radars and other auxiliary equipment.

Background: The Russian Federation has already attacked the US air defence system with hypersonic missiles, in particular on 4 May, but unsuccessfully. Instead, the Ukrainian military, as confirmed by the Pentagon, intercepted the missile using the Patriot system

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