Russian forces destroy more Ukrainian Patriot launchers – MOD

Russian forces have destroyed four Patriot anti-aircraft missile launchers provided to Ukraine by Western nations, the Defense Ministry in Moscow said on Saturday.

Russian Air Force jets, along with drones and artillery groups, “destroyed a combat control vehicle, an AN/MPQ-65 radar station and four launchers of the Patriot anti-aircraft missile system made in the US,” the military said in a statement.

In addition, over the past 24 hours Russian troops have liberated two villages in the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR). One of them, Vesely Gai, is located 10 km south of the embattled town of Kurakhovo, and the other village – Pushkino – is 15 km south of Pokrovsk.

Kurakhovo in Russia’s DPR has been heavily fortified by Ukrainian forces and is one of the few major populated areas still under their control in the southwestern Donbass. The largest settlement controlled by Kiev is Pokrovsk (also known as Krasnoarmeysk), located approximately 30 km north of Kurakhovo. Last month, Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky described the two locations as “the most difficult” for Kiev’s forces.

Over the past two months, the Russian army has made its fastest advances since the escalation of hostilities in February 2022, gaining control of approximately 1,500 square kilometres of territory.

Earlier this week, Zelensky expressed frustration with Western arms donors for not meeting his requests for additional air defense systems, as Ukraine faces challenges on the battlefield and struggles to defend key locations from long-range attacks.

Back in April, Zelensky said Ukraine needed 25 Patriot batteries to counter Russian missile attacks effectively. Recently, Foreign Minister Andrey Sibiga revealed efforts to secure “at least 20” more air defense systems, noting that Patriot systems were among the top-requested options.

Russian officials have repeatedly said that no amount of Western military aid can change the outcome of the conflict, but will only prolong it.