Russia Hits US-Made Patriot Air Defense System in Kyiv

A US official acknowledged to CNN that a Patriot system was damaged by a Russian strike

Russia’s military said Tuesday that it hit a US-made Patriot air defense system in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv with a hypersonic missile, which was later confirmed by a US official.

“A high-precision strike by a Kinzhal hypersonic missile system hit a US-made Patriot air defense system,” said Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Lt. Gen. Igor Konashenkov.

A US official told CNN that a Patriot system in Kyiv was likely damaged but not destroyed by a Russian missile barrage. The US is assessing the damage to see if the system needs to be taken out of Ukraine for repairs.

The Patriot is one of the US’s most advanced air defense systems. US and Ukrainian officials have previously claimed that the Patriot systems intercepted a Russian hypersonic missile, which Russia’s military has denied.

US officials suggested to CNN that the Patriot might be more vulnerable to Russian attacks than other air defense systems. The report reads: “Unlike some shorter-range air defenses provided to Ukraine that are mobile and harder to target, the large Patriot battery is a larger and more stationary system, making it possible for the Russian forces to zero in on the location over time.”

The US first pledged to arm Ukraine with Patriots in December 2022 and trained Ukrainian soldiers on the system at a base in Oklahoma. The extremely expensive missile systems first began arriving in Ukraine last month.

Author: Dave DeCamp

Dave DeCamp is the news editor of Antiwar.com, follow him on Twitter @decampdave.