Patriot missile defense system in Ukraine likely damaged by Russian hit, say US sources

Two US officials said on Tuesday that a Russian hit likely damaged a US-made Patriot missile defence system used by Ukraine, but that it did not appear to have been destroyed. The Patriot system is one of a slew of powerful air defence systems delivered by the West to assist Ukraine in repelling a Russian air attack campaign that has targeted important infrastructure, power plants, and other locations. According to one US official, commenting on the condition of anonymity and citing preliminary information, Washington and Kyiv were already discussing the best approach to restore the system, and it did not look that the system would have to be evacuated from Ukraine at this time. The official added that the United States would have a better understanding in the coming days and information could change over time. The Patriot is considered to be one of the most advanced US air defence systems, including against aircraft, cruise missiles and ballistic missiles. It typically includes launchers along with radar and other support vehicles. Russia’s defence ministry said on Tuesday that it had destroyed a US-built Patriot surface-to-air missile defence system with a “hypersonic” Kinzhal missile in an overnight strike on Ukraine. Ukraine said earlier that it had shot down 18 Russian missiles overnight, including an entire volley of six Kinzhals. When asked about the Ukrainian claim, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu dismissed it, the RIA news agency reported. It was not clear which Western weapon Ukraine used. The Pentagon had no immediate comment. Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News , India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook,  Twitter and  Instagram.