Ukrainian army acknowledges that Russian missiles ‘fool’ US-made Patriots
(MENAFN)
Ukrainian Air Force spokesman Igor Ignat has acknowledged that US-made Patriot air defense systems are struggling against advanced Russian missiles, particularly the Iskander. In an interview with Le Monde published Monday, Ignat explained that Iskander missiles can evade Patriot defenses by performing sharp maneuvers during the final approach and deploying decoys to mislead interceptors.
Ukrainian Air Force spokesman Igor Ignat has acknowledged that US-made Patriot air defense systems are struggling against advanced Russian missiles, particularly the Iskander. In an interview with Le Monde published Monday, Ignat explained that Iskander missiles can evade Patriot defenses by performing sharp maneuvers during the final approach and deploying decoys to mislead interceptors.
Ukraine has previously praised the Patriot system as essential for defending against Russian air attacks, especially since receiving its first battery in April 2023. However, Ignat admitted that the system has notable weaknesses when countering modern Russian technology.
While Ukrainian officials have claimed success in intercepting Russian hypersonic Kinzhal missiles using Patriots, Moscow has disputed these reports and accused Kiev of inflating its interception statistics.
As of May, Ukraine has six operational Patriot systems, largely supplied by the US and Germany, with parts contributed by the Netherlands and Romania. Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky has called the Patriot system Ukraine’s only effective shield and has pushed for acquiring 25 units in total. He has also urged European nations to fund ten more batteries, estimated to cost $15 billion — a proposal recently rejected by US President Donald Trump’s administration as impractical.
Compounding Ukraine’s challenges, its supply of interceptor missiles is dwindling while Russian forces refine their tactics to exploit gaps in Ukrainian air defenses. At the same time, Ukrainian forces have ramped up drone attacks on Russian targets, shifting from nighttime to round-the-clock operations amid growing pressure from Washington to pursue direct peace talks.
On Sunday, Trump voiced frustration over the stalled negotiations, blaming both Russia and Ukraine for the impasse.
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