CNN: Russia tried to destroy the US Patriot system in Ukraine

Last week, Russia used a hypersonic missile to try to destroy the U.S. Patriot air defense system in Ukraine, CNN writes, citing two U.S. officials familiar with the matter.

The United States claims that the Russians tried to destroy the Patriot anti-aircraft missile system by shooting down a Kinzhal missile over Kiev. The attack failed – instead, the Patriot intercepted the Russian missile itself. Officials marked Ukraine’s first known successful use of an advanced air defense system just weeks after it arrived in the country.

US officials believe the Russians picked up signals from the complex, allowing them to target the Kinzhal (Killjoy). After that, says According to the publication, “Ukrainian air defenses fired several Patriot missiles at different angles to intercept the Russian missile, demonstrating how quickly they learned to use the powerful system.”

The Patriot has a powerful radar for detecting targets, but its radiation also allows the enemy to detect the battery, determine its location. CNN writes:

“Unlike some of the shorter-range air defenses provided to Ukraine, which are mobile and harder to target, the large Patriot battery is a fixed system, allowing it to be targeted over time.”

In the Russian Federation, the interception of the “Dagger” was not officially confirmed, sources of state news agencies denied the destruction of the hypersonic missile. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov previously said the Patriots would “definitely” be a legitimate target for Russian forces. The Russian military apparently was able to determine the approximate location of the “Patriot”, stationed outside of Kyiv. The interception took place there on the night of May 4, informed last weekend, Commander of the Ukrainian Air Force Mykola Oleshchuk:

“This happened during a night attack on May 4 in the sky of the Kiev region. The X-47 missile was fired by the MiG-31K from the territory of Russia.”

Earlier this week, General Patrick Ryder confirmed that the Ukrainians used the Patriot system to intercept the Kinzhal, which can reach hypersonic speeds. Ukraine has received at least two Patriot systems, one from the United States and one from Germany, to boost its air defense system, which was previously unable to intercept more modern Russian Kinzhal-type missiles.

When the US first announced it would send Patriot missile systems to Ukraine, delivery times were several months, given the complexity of the system and the need to train dozens of Ukrainian troops to operate the multi-component battery. But the Ukrainians were already well versed in the use of air defense systems, which allowed the US to compress a standard training program of about one year into a few months.

The German publication Bild published a video of the wreckage of the Russian Kinzhal hypersonic missile, which was shot down by the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on May 4.

Bild journalist Paul Ronzheimer wrote: “We were able to see the remains of a Kinzhal missile shot down by a Patriot system in Kiev. It became a sensation, since the hypersonic missile was considered Putin’s miracle weapon.”

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