5 Patriot air defense systems destroyed by Kinzhal missiles: Moscow

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
17 May 22:57

A US official told Sputnik on Wednesday that a patriot air defense system was damaged by a Russian missile earlier in the week.

MIG-31k fighter jet, with Kinzhal missile system, performs during Victory Day in Red Square. (AFP)

The Russian Defense Ministry said on Wednesday that a Russian Kinzhal hypersonic missile destroyed on May 16 five Patriot air defense launchers and a multifunctional radar station in Kiev.

"According to verified information, as a result of a strike by the Kinzhal hypersonic missile system in the city of Kiev a multifunctional radar station, as well as five launchers of the Patriot anti-aircraft missile system manufactured by the United States were hit and completely destroyed on May 16, 2023," the ministry said.

Damaged Patriot defense system remains operational

A US official told Sputnik on Wednesday that a Patriot air defense system was damaged by a Russian missile earlier in the week.

He noted that the system remained operational after the bombardment.

"We assess the system sustained some damage but remains operational at this time," the US official said without disclosing which part of the system was damaged and whether the damage was either the result of the Russian missile or from falling debris.

On Tuesday, CNN reported that the Russian armed forces damaged a US-made Patriot air defense system in Ukraine due to missile strikes in and around Kiev early Tuesday.

The US claimed that it was still assessing to what degree the system was damaged by the Russian missiles, and that will determine whether the system would need to be pulled back or just repaired on the battlefield.

The US sent inspectors to assess the Patriot system and determined that the system was still operational and noted that the most critical radar component was not damaged at all.

"A high-precision strike by the Kinzhal hypersonic missile system in the city of Kiev hit a US-made Patriot anti-aircraft missile system," Russia's Defense Ministry said on Tuesday in a post on Telegram.

According to the Ministry, Russian air defense systems have intercepted seven Storm Shadow long-range cruise missiles over the past day.

Earlier this year, Ukraine received one Patriot system from the US and another jointly provided by Germany and the Netherlands.