Additionally, it was the first time that Ukraine is known to have used the Patriot defence system. According to the Associated Press, Ukraine’s Air Force commander, Mykola Oleshchuk, proclaimed the achievement in a Telegram message, claiming it occurred during a nocturnal strike on the nation’s capital city earlier in the week.
Oleshchuk wrote, “Yes, we shot down the ‘unique’ Kinzhal,” alluding to the contemporary Russian ballistic missile. It took place on May 4 during the nighttime raid over the Kyiv area.
On Ukrainian television station Channel 24, Air Force spokeswoman Yurii Ihnat said, “They were saying that the Patriot is an outmoded American weapon and that Russian weapons are the best in the world.” There is proof that it successfully defends against even super-hypersonic missiles, so there. said Ihnat. He referred to the Kinzhal’s successful intercept as “a slap in the face for Russia.”
Ukraine got its first shipment of Patriot missiles in late April, but it has not disclosed how many units it now possesses or the locations of their deployment. The U.S., Germany, and the Netherlands are known to have contributed them, according to the AP.
In a Telegram message on Saturday, Valerii Zaluzhnyi, the head of Ukraine’s armed forces, said that he had thanked U.S. Gen. Mark Milley, the head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, for America’s continuous assistance to Ukraine. According to the site, he said that he informed Milley “about the situation at the front and preparations” for Ukraine’s projected counteroffensive against Russia this spring.
