America’s air defense system was able to take out Russian forces in Ukraine amid the ongoing European war.
According to a report from the defense and national security website 19FortyFive, the MIM-104 Patriot intercepted a hypersonic missile sent by Russia.
Mykola Oleshchuk, the commander of the Ukrainian Air Force, posted information about the situation on Telegram. Ukraine now has access to at least two MIM-104 Patriots, one from the U.S. and another from Germany.
“Today, our beautiful Ukrainian sky becomes more secure,” Oleshchuk wrote shortly after receiving them.
The development reportedly angered Russian President Vladimir Putin, adding fuel to his conviction that the West is supporting the conflict by giving Ukraine the means to defend itself. But he appeared to be largely uninterested when initially hearing about the Ukrainians using the Patriot system.
“They say they may send Patriot there, fine, we will crack the Patriot too,” Putin said, adding that it was old and that continuing to send weapons will draw out the conflict. He also touched on the Soviet-era weapons NATO has been giving to Ukraine and said that both those weapons and Ukraine’s military industries are coming to an end.
The Russian strongman then said that he was ready to engage in peace talks, but claims that Ukraine has refused to enter negotiations. “One way or another, all armed conflicts end with talks,” he said.
This comes after Russia fired more than 20 missiles and two drones at Ukraine earlier this month, leaving 16 people dead.
The attacks are the first of their kind since two months ago, when Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital, was also bombed. Among the 16 people killed in the drone attacks were three children, according to local authorities.
In eastern Ukraine, where a grinding war of attrition has taken hold, the bombardment was nowhere near the war’s wide front lines or active combat zones. Throughout the 14-month conflict, Russia has undertaken many long-range missile attacks that routinely target residential locations without warning.
According to Ukrainian officials and analysts, the strikes are a calculated intimidation tactic by the Kremlin, which has denied having any military objectives against civilians.
