Ukrainian officials denied Russian reports that Kyiv’s stock of American-made Patriot anti-air missiles and platforms had been destroyed on Sunday night.
“No matter who in Russia says that our Patriots have been destroyed, they are still here, they are working, all of them are shooting down Russian missiles as efficiently as possible,” said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. “Not a single Patriot has been destroyed!”
The Ukrainian Air Force said on Monday that four Kalibr naval cruise missiles launched from the Black Sea were downed by air defenses during the night, as well as four Iranian-made Shahed suicide drones launched from across the Sea of Azov. Alerts about air-launched missiles continued into the day.
Ukraine’s air defenses take down Russian missiles and drones
Ukraine has been under heavy bombardment by Russia since it began its offensive. Zelensky congratulated air defenders, saying that almost three dozen missiles and 50 attack drones were destroyed in a week.
“All ‘Kalibrs’ and ‘Kinzhals’ were destroyed during these attacks, and thus the lives of our people were saved,” said Zelensky.
A Russian Air Force MiG-31 fighter jet releases Kinzhal hypersonic missile during a drill in an unknown location in Russia, in this still image taken from video released February 19, 2022. (credit: RUSSIAN DEFENSE MINISTRY/HANDOUT VIA REUTERS)The Kinzhal is an air-launched quasi-ballistic missile that Russian missiles describe as a hypersonic weapon. In NATO documents, the weapon has not been considered a true hypersonic weapon, but is included in discussion due to its high maneuverability.
Patriot batteries have been able to down several of the highly vaunted weapons in early May, but a Patriot battery was damaged according to the Pentagon.
Russia has been seeking to destroy Ukraine’s arsenal of foreign-donated weaponry, especially air-defense systems. The Ukrainian National Resistance Center on Monday decried Russian claims that 10% of all Western arms supplied to Ukraine were destroyed in a week.
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