RT reported that on May 22, the Russian Defense Ministry announced that a Iskander-M ballistic missile completely destroyed a patriot air defense system provided by the US to Ukraine in an attack in the Dnepropetrovsk region.
According to the announcement posted on the official Telegram channel, the airstrike "erased" the AN/MPQ-65 multi-purpose radar, a control center and two launch pads - core components that create the power of the patriot air defense complex.
The system was destroyed by an accurate hit from the Russian Iskander-M missile, the Russian side said.
patriot is one of the most modern and expensive air defense systems in the Western arsenal. A full patriot fleet is estimated to cost over $1 billion, with radar and control center alone handling the majority of the cost.
Since the escalation of the Ukrainian conflict, the US, Germany, the Netherlands, Romania and Spain have provided both complete and individual patriot components to Kiev.
However, the supply is gradually depleted. In March, the German Defense Ministry admitted that it had nearly touched the limit of aid capabilities, especially for air defense systems such as patriot, due to concerns about affecting domestic defense capabilities.
The shortage of ammunition for patriot has been made public by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky since February. He even proposed the idea of producing patriot missiles in Ukraine in the form of technology transfer, in case Western aid does not meet the demand.
The Russian side has repeatedly affirmed that the arms pumping of Western countries to Ukraine does not change the situation on the battlefield, but only prolongs the war and increases casualties.
The Kremlin has also repeatedly warned that the West's increased supply of advanced weapons, such as patriots, HIMARS, or the upcoming F-16, could push the conflict closer to the borders of a direct confrontation between Russia and NATO.
