Ukraine has denied Russia’s claim to have destroyed an advanced US-made Patriot air defence system in a missile strike, and hailed a decision from Britain and the Netherlands to lead an international effort to provide Kyiv with modern F-16 fighter jets.
Unnamed US officials told CNN that a Patriot suffered minimal damage during a major Russian missile attack on Kyiv in the early hours of Tuesday, and was still operational and could probably be repaired without being removed from duty. The two Patriots given to Ukraine by the US and Germany are the most powerful elements of its air defence shield.
The duel between Russia’s vast missile arsenal and western air defence systems supplied to Ukraine has intensified this month, in what analysts see as an attempt by Moscow to hamper Kyiv’s planned counteroffensive against Kremlin forces occupying parts of eastern and southeastern Ukraine.
Washington confirmed earlier this month that Ukraine had shot down a Kinzhal missile - which Russia claims cannot be hit by any air defence rocket – and on Tuesday Kyiv said it intercepted six of the multi-million-euro Kinzhals over the city. In response, Moscow insisted that all its targets had been hit, including a Patriot battery guarding the capital.
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[ Explainer: The Patriot missile defence systemOpens in new window ]
“Do not worry about the fate of the Patriot,” Ukrainian air force spokesman Yuriy Ihnat said on Wednesday. “To destroy the system with some Kinzhal - well, it’s impossible.”
Col Ihnat did not deny that a Patriot had been damaged, but argued that one missile could not destroy a whole system because it consists of several elements – including a radar, a control station and launch batteries - that can be located some distance from each other.
Russia’s land forces are thought to have been severely depleted since it launched an all-out invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 – losing an estimated 200,000 troops to death and injury, according to western capitals.
Now its missile forces and air defence capabilities are under growing scrutiny, following Ukraine’s claims to have intercepted seven Kinzhals and its apparent use of British-supplied Storm Shadow cruise missiles to strike deep inside Russian-occupied territory. Moscow also blames Kyiv for a spate of recent drone attacks, including one on the Kremlin itself.
Ukrainian officials said Russia fired missiles at the southern region of Mykolaiv late on Tuesday night, damaging an industrial site, private houses, a shopping centre and a car dealership. Moscow said the strike destroyed a big arms depot.
Ukraine is pressing allies to send more weapons at a faster pace ahead of a counteroffensive that it hopes will liberate swathes of territory and severely weaken Moscow’s invasion force. Neighbouring Poland and Slovakia have transferred Soviet-era MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine, which says it needs modern western warplanes such as the US-made F-16 to protect its skies against Russia’s superior air and missile forces.
Britain and the Netherlands announced on Tuesday evening that they “would work to build an international coalition to provide Ukraine with combat air capabilities, supporting with everything from training to procuring F-16 jets”.
Andriy Yermak, chief of staff to Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy, said: “We need fighter jets and we thank the allies for the decision to work in this direction. In particular, Belgium also confirmed its willingness to train pilots.”
Amid intense fighting around the eastern town of Bakhmut, Ukrainian deputy defence minister Hanna Maliar said her country’s forces had retained control of about 20km of recently liberated territory. “Let’s go further. There is progress in some areas,” she added. “There are fierce battles in Bakhmut itself. The enemy is advancing in some places.”
