The ongoing conflict in Ukraine has stretched into its 448th day, with both factions showing no signs of willingness to engage in peace negotiations.
This week witnessed an uptick in hostility, as Western media outlets reported a comprehensive assault on Kyiv by Russia. This action was purportedly a counterstrike to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s recent three-day European tour to London, Berlin, Paris, and Rome, aimed at garnering additional military support, including long-range attack drones from the UK.
Russia's offensive included the launch of six Kinzhal missiles, nine Kalibr missiles, three ballistic rockets, six attack drones, and three surveillance drones.
Despite Ukraine's initial assertion of successfully neutralising Russia's hypersonic weapon, it later revealed that the attack had compromised a Patriot air defence system utilised by Ukrainian forces, according to The Guardian.
Earlier in April, Ukraine had received two Patriot air missile systems from the US and Germany. Sources familiar with the situation, as reported by CNN and The Guardian, suggested that the impaired missile system might need to be entirely withdrawn based on the extent of the damage, which is currently under assessment.
The Guardian described the recent strike as one of the most severe since the inception of the conflict. Russia's strategic approach included deploying Shahed drones from the north, launching Kinzhals through MiG-31K fighter jets from the east, and firing Kalibr missiles from warships located in the Black Sea, per Ukraine’s air command spokesperson, Yurii Ihnat.
The bombardment led numerous Kyiv residents to seek safety in bomb shelters. According to
Kyiv's mayor, Vitali Klitschko, three individuals from the Solomyan district were injured by falling debris. He further noted that debris also fell on the outskirts of Darnytskyi and Obolonskyi, causing fires that were promptly extinguished by firefighters.
Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov stated, "Russian terrorists stand no chance of overcoming Ukraine. Their weaponry can and must be thwarted by western forces."
President Zelensky appreciated the "substantial and decisive" pledges of military support. In the coming days, the UK and France will start training Ukrainian pilots and coordinate on the supply of F-16 jets.
Moreover, the UK and the Netherlands have established an "international coalition" to expedite the procurement of these aircraft
The Patriot damage was evidently nowhere near as bad as Russia claimed, and the modular system has been repaired and is back in service according to multiple sources. From the footage of the attack, it looks like the only impact near the source of the Pariot defensive fire was likely falling debris from a Kinzhal,
It is odd how poorly understood missile defense is among the supposed cognisenti. There is no need to score a direct hit on an iincoming missile of ANY speed.Most Patriot SAMs are proximity weapons, meant to detonate as close as possible to the target, striking it with shrapnel and projectiles. With a hypersonic projectile, all that is needed is to put a cloud of shrapn…
Ship them another battery for Kyiv. If one is good 2-3 is even better. Ha, the US DoD just said accounting mistakes meant that they had about 3 billion more to send than they thought. That would be two Patriot batteries more.
I am SO in awe of the Ukranian Army! Those guys bring so much fight into the battle the Rooskeys are having nightmares! God bless Ukraine!
Regarding the damage to the Patriot system in Ukraine, it was reported a few days ago that the damage was light. As of yesterday, this was confirmed by both the Washington Post and Washington Examiner who reported that the system has since been repaired, and is now fully operational.
"Factions" dont take it so hard; its more or less an easier sentence to read, you could say "both parties" or "neither side" Lots more to worry about.
I would like to know more about the Pzh 2000 and if its durability is not that great!? I read somewhere it was designed to fire 100 times a day not 300.
OR something else I wonder about. Why doesn't Ukraine exchange Russian prisoners of war for Ukrainian Children that have been horribly abducted by Russia; the Invaders!
Or how about giving the Ukraine Pilots and their interpreters and english language teachers the F16 manuals now. Try to streamline or accelerate the learning curve for these chosen F16 pilots. Pretty relieved that…