Ukrainian soldiers arrived at a US military base in Oklahoma (in the south-central United States) on Sunday to train in the use of the Patriot air defense system, which Washington will provide to Kyiv.
“Soldiers from the Ukrainian army have arrived here”, in the military base of Fort Still, “to begin training in anti-aircraft defense”, Curtis King, the commander of the artillery school, told Fox News. installed there.
“This training will focus on the handling and maintenance of the Patriot anti-aircraft system,” he said.
The sending by the United States of its most sophisticated anti-aircraft system to Ukraine is unprecedented since the beginning of the war. Kyiv has long demanded these Patriots to deal with air attacks from Russia.
The toll of a Russian strike on Saturday in Dnipro (central-eastern Ukraine) on an apartment building rose to 40 dead last Monday, becoming one of the highest for a bombardment since the beginning of the war. This balance sheet is likely to increase further.
The training which begins in Oklahoma will occupy “between 90 and 100 Ukrainian soldiers”, indicated the American ministry of Defense on January 10 last.
“Once on the ground, the Patriot (…) will contribute to Ukrainian air defense and provide the Ukrainian people with an additional means to defend themselves against the current Russian air assaults”, added General Pat Ryder, carrier. word of the Pentagon.
The delivery of such a tool represents “a very important step in creating a safe airspace for Ukraine”, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said during his surprise visit to Washington in late December, during which this new military aid had been announced.
The Patriot missiles are particularly capable of shooting down cruise missiles, short-range ballistic missiles and aircraft at a much higher altitude than the defense systems provided so far.
For the time being, the United States has planned to deliver a battery of Patriots to Ukraine, each of these missiles costing three million dollars.