Kiev contradicts: Russians want Patriot system destroyed

Kyiv disagrees
Russians want Patriot system destroyed

05/16/2023, 3:38 p.m

While Ukraine reports having shot down six Russian hypersonic missiles, the Defense Ministry in Moscow claims to have destroyed a Western Patriot battery. It’s not entirely impossible because their radar makes the weapons vulnerable.

The Ukrainian armed forces said they shot down six Russian Kinzhal-type hypersonic missiles on Tuesday night. It would be the first strike of this dimension against such a missile, which the government in Moscow praises as a kind of “silver bullet”. Air raid alarms went off in many cities in Ukraine this morning, including Kiev. In addition to the Kinzhal missiles, nine Russian cruise missiles of the Kalibr type and three land-based Iskander missiles were intercepted, the commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian armed forces, Valeriy Zalushnyi, said via Telegram.

If the information is confirmed, it would prove the effectiveness of the anti-aircraft systems supplied to Ukraine by the West. The Kinzhal rocket flies ten times faster than sound.

According to the information, six Shahed drones of Iranian design and three reconnaissance drones were also destroyed. “The enemy’s mission is to foment panic and create chaos,” said Ukrainian General Serhiy Nayev. Despite this, everything is under control in the north-western zone of the country, including the capital Kiev.

The Russian military, on the other hand, announced that a Patriot air defense system supplied by the West was destroyed during its attacks in the night. This was achieved with a Kinzhal missile, the Ministry of Defense in Moscow said on its news portal Zvezda. On the other hand, Zalushnyi said that all Russian missiles could have been shot down. According to the government, the Russian attacks also targeted Ukrainian combat units and ammunition depots.

Russians can apparently locate Patriot battery

In early May, Russia attempted to destroy a Patriot system with a Kinzhal missile. The CNN reported on Friday with reference to two US officials. However, the attack failed and instead the Russian missile was intercepted with the Patriot system. However, US officials cautioned that the Russians intercepted and located the signals sent out by the Patriot battery and then targeted them, the report said.

The Patriot missile system has a powerful radar for detecting incoming targets at long range, making it a powerful air defense platform. The radar emission required to detect threats from afar simultaneously allows the enemy to spot the Patriot battery and find out its location. Unlike shorter-range mobile air defense installations, the large Patriot battery is a stationary system, allowing the Russians to pinpoint location over time.