Russia’s attack `punched a hole` into Ukraine’s defense shield

(Dan Tri) – Russia’s Iskander missile caused damage that is difficult to compensate for quickly to Ukraine’s Patriot air defense system on the front line.

Forbes reported that the video released by the Russian Ministry of Defense on March 9 shows that the military personnel controlling the UAV in Moscow discovered a convoy with at least two missile launchers of the Patriot air defense system that the US cited.

After receiving the information, the team operating Russia’s Iskander missile from hundreds of kilometers away quickly took the opportunity and pressed the fire button.

Russia destroyed two Ukrainian Patriot launchers (Video: Russian Ministry of Defense).

According to Forbes, Russia’s attack was carried out at an extremely important time for both sides.

Experts say that Ukraine made a risky decision to bring Patriot complexes close to the front line, but this is a necessary measure to prevent Russia from gaining complete air superiority when the war of attrition has entered its third year.

If Ukraine really loses two Patriot launchers, this will be a loss that is difficult to compensate for quickly.

According to Forbes, Russia’s attack may have caused Ukraine to lose up to 13% of its Patriot launchers, creating an air defense hole for Kiev in the face of Russia’s overwhelming air power.

Mobile launchers are key components in the Patriot system along with radars, command stations and missile reloading systems.

Ukraine not only uses the Patriot on more than 1,000km of the front line, but also uses them to protect important targets in major cities.

It is unclear why Ukraine’s Patriot convoy does not have its own air defense force when moving.

The Patriot launcher exploded after the attack (Photo: Russian Ministry of Defense).

In addition to Patriot, last week Russia also released a video showing its Iskander missile exploding the HIMARS multiple launch fire system while it was moving.

The loss of Patriot and possibly the loss of an experienced crew is a significant loss for Ukraine, placing an additional burden on Kiev to deal with Russia in the near future, especially in the context of smart glide bombs launched from

In the world, American contractor Raytheon is the only party that produces hardware for the Patriot system.

Meanwhile, aid from the West is becoming increasingly trickle as the largest donor, the United States, is still in an internal conflict, leading to $65 billion in money stuck in parliament.

Ukraine’s greatest hope will be that Western allies continue to provide aid to Kiev’s existing Patriot systems to compensate for losses.