On September 29, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that an Israeli-supplied patriot air defense system had been deployed in Ukraine and operated for a month.
This is the first time Kiev has publicly acknowledged the presence of this type of weapon. Mr. Zelensky also revealed that Ukraine will receive 2 more patriot complexes next fall.
Earlier this year, patriot transfers were raised when Israeli Ambassador to Kiev, Michael Brodsky, suggested that some systems previously deployed in Israel had been transferred to Ukrainian forces. However, the Israeli Foreign Ministry quickly denied the information.
At the same time, the Financial Times said Israel is planning to phase out eight patriot systems that have served for more than 30 years, replacing them with modern air defense solutions, and could pave the way for transition to Ukraine.
Earlier this month, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius announced that Berlin had handed over the first of the two patriot complexes to Kiev. Mr Pistorius also said that Ukraine needs at least 5 such systems to protect the airspace.
Moscow has repeatedly criticized Western countries for supplying weapons to Kiev, saying the move would only prolong the war.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov warned that lost weapons from Ukraine could create global security risks, including for Israel.
Earlier, shortly after the conflict broke out in February 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin had declared that Russia would "break" patriot systems if they were deployed in Ukraine.
