The Defense Minister of Ukraine disclosed on Wednesday, April 19, 2023, that the country has received the U.S made Patriot-Surface-to-air guided missile system it has long craved for and he believes it will help in protecting the airspace of the country.
“Today, our beautiful Ukrainian sky becomes more secured because Patriot air defense system has arrived in Ukraine,” Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikovs said.
Ukraine official has previously said that the patriot missile system would be a major boost in the war against Russia’s invasion. It is the latest contribution from Kyiv’s Western allies, who have also pledged to support Ukraine with tanks, artillery, and some type of fighter jets, as Kyiv gear up for an expected counteroffensive.
China, on the other hand, has stated that it has no intensions of supplying either parties with weapons, most especially Russia, a country that it shares good ties with. Beijing has also denied reports of Chinese drones, seen on the Ukrainian battlefields.
Beijing maintains its strict control over the export of drones in keeping with international standards, preventing them for being used for events that contradicts peace.
China has already criticized the West for their involvement in the Ukraine war, by supplying Kyiv with munitions to fight Moscow, as “adding fuel to the fire” of the war and has no “objectives and fair stance” and therefore seeks peace.
The Patriot Air Defense System is a U.S made military gadget that aids in protecting the airspace of a country from any air assault. The Patriot can target aircrafts, cruise missiles, and short range ballistic missiles. Russia has used these weapons to bombard Ukrainian cities, targeting residential areas and civilian infrastructures, and energy installations.
The Ukrainian Air Force spokesperson, Yurii Ihnat said, the delivery of the system with landmark event, allows Ukraine to knock out Russia targets at a greater distance.
The Foreign Minister thanked the people of U.S, Germany and the Netherlands, without saying the number of systems it had received.
The German Federal government has listed the Patriot Air Defense System as among the military gadgets delivered to Kyiv, within the past weeks. Annalena Baebock, the German Foreign Minister, confirmed that to lawmakers in Berlin. Baebock also noted Germany has delivered the second of the four medium-range IRIS-T air defense system that it pledged last year.
Reznikov said, he had first solicited for the Patriot system when he visited the U.S in August 2021, five months before Moscow invaded Kyiv and seven years after Kremlin annexed Crimea. He described the possessing of the system as a “dream”, but said he was told in 2021 that, it was impossible.
“Our air defenders have mastered the Patriot System as far as they could and our partners have kept their word,” Reznikov said.
Experts Raise Concerns About The Patriot System
Experts have raised serious concerns about the effectiveness of the Patriot System, saying it may not be a game changer in war, even though it will add to Ukraine’s arsenals against its bigger enemy.
The Patriot costs $4 million per round and the launchers cost $10 million per each. This is why experts believe that it is not advantageous to use the Patriot to shoot far smaller and cheaper Iranian drones that Russia has been using in Ukraine.
Kyiv has reported daily civilian, but not military casualties from Russia’s bombardments. At least, 4 civilians were killed and 27 others injured in Ukraine overnight on Tuesday, April 18, 2023, the press office of the Ukraine Defense Ministry stated.
Kyiv is estimated to have suffered over 124,500-131,000 total casualties, including 15,500 killed in action (KIA) and 109,000-113,500 wounded in action. On the other hand, Russia had suffered over 110,000 casualties by February 2023, according to the Federal Security Service (FSB). These figures are low as compared the figures in the leaked U.S secret documents.
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