US Patriot Missile Systems Arrive in Ukraine: What This Means for Russia and the Region

The U.S. is sending Ukraine a special type of missile called the Patriot Missile. It’s really good at defending against attacks, especially from Russia. The missiles can protect cities and homes in Ukraine by targeting Russian planes, cruise missiles, or short-range ballistic missiles if they attack again like they have in the past.

Ukraine’s Defence Minister, Oleksii Reznikov, tweeted that their country’s sky is now more safe. He thanked the USA, Germany, and the Netherlands for sending missiles along with tanks, artillery, and some kinds of fighter jets so Ukraine can defend itself from attacks from other countries. Reznikov didn’t say how many missile systems were sent or when they got there.

A spokesman for the Ukrainian air force announced on Tuesday that military items, including a sort of missile defense system called a Patriot system, have been delivered to Ukraine during this past week. The German Foreign Minister announced the same news to lawmakers in Berlin. This delivery is an important event that will help Ukrainians protect themselves by knocking out far-away Russian targets.

Germany delivered the second of four air defense systems last year. Reznikov asked for help from the U.S when he visited in August 2021, five months before Russia invaded Ukraine. He was told by the U.S that it was “impossible” to get his request at the time even though possessing it was “a dream”, but this was seven years after Russia illegally took control of Ukraine’s Crimea peninsula.

Soldiers from Ukraine have been taught how to use the Patriot battery, which needs 90 people to work it. The Ukrainian Government’s spokesperson said that Ukraine and its partners did what they promised by teaching the soldiers how to use this powerful battery.

However, some experts think that even though the Patriot battery will be helpful, it may not do much against Ukraine’s bigger opponent.

The Patriot missile system was first used by the United States in the 1980s. It is very expensive – one missile costs around 4 million dollars, and the launcher for it costs 10 million dollars. So it doesn’t make sense to use the super pricey Patriot system to destroy smaller, cheaper drones that Russia has been buying and using in Ukraine.

On Wednesday, reports came out saying some Chinese drones were seen in Ukraine. But China said they won’t help Russia (which they are close with) by giving them weapons like drones. The same day, the Government of China made a statement that they follow international rules and won’t allow any drones or weapon to be used for bad purposes.

China said it has an unbiased opinion on the Ukraine war and desires a peaceful resolution. Russian President Vladimir Putin recently visited regions in Ukraine that are ruled by Moscow.

The purpose of the trip was to talk with the military, but not for too long so that it wouldn’t interfere with their work. According to Ukraine’s defense ministry, there have been reports of civilians being hurt and killed from Russian bombs over the past few days. Four people died and 27 were injured on Tuesday night.

Two people were reported killed in a Russian airstrike on a border town in Kharkiv region. The victims were a 50-year-old man and 44-year-old woman. In addition, 12 rockets, artillery, mortars, tanks and drones attacked the Ukrainian city of Kherson which caused one death at the market near its capital and destroyed a nearby school.

In northern Ukraine, a woman was killed and another was hurt due to Russian forces launching rocket launchers at the border village of Richki. Additionally, those same forces used exploding drones in the Odesa region in southern Ukraine. Two writers from Tallinn, Estonia and Berlin contributed to this report, which you can read on https://bigbignews.net/russia-ukraine for more information about the war between Ukraine and Russia.