The US-made Patriot surface-to-air guided missile systems, which Ukraine had long requested and hoped would help protect it from Russian bombings throughout the conflict, have finally arrived, according to Kyiv's military minister on Wednesday.
According to prior statements made by Ukrainian authorities, the delivery of the Patriot systems, which Washington committed to supply in October, would be a significant development in the struggle against Moscow's full-scale invasion, AP News reported.
As Ukraine prepares for an anticipated counterattack, its Western allies have also promised tanks, artillery, and certain kinds of fighter planes. This is the West's recent military contribution to Kyiv in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.
Ukrainian defense minister Oleksii Reznikov stated that with the arrival of the Patriot guided missiles, the country's "beautiful" skies are now "safer," per Politico.
The United States donated one of the Patriot missile systems, while Germany and the Netherlands contributed one together. In recent months, Ukrainian soldiers have begun receiving training on the systems in what US military sources describe as a quick lesson.
Although it was anticipated that the training at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, would take up to a year, the authorities announced last month that the soldiers were virtually prepared to utilize the devices in war.
Ukrainian troops also finished their training in Europe with the German and Dutch armies.
Read Also : Viral Video Shows Intensity of India Heatwave
Russian Ships Reportedly Spying on European Seas
Meanwhile, news organizations in Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and Finland have reported on an alleged Russian military operation that involved ships conducting surveillance on offshore wind farms, gas pipelines, power and internet cables, and other infrastructure in the waters surrounding the Scandinavian peninsula.
A joint journalistic investigation revealed that over the past decade, 50 boats, including yachts, fishing vessels, and cargo ships, were detected in the area behaving suspiciously, according to DW.
One example cited by the Danish public broadcaster DR was a Russian research vessel that was observed sailing between Sweden and Denmark in November of last year. The ship's stated objective was to study, but according to DR, it had also been communicating through radio with a Russian naval facility.
Read also: China Hospital Fire: 29 Dead
