File image.
The Russian military launched on July 6 pinpoint missile strikes against the coast of the Odessa region, targeting air defenses of Kiev forces.
The strikes, which were carried out using Iskander-M tactical ballistic missiles, destroyed two M90x Launching Stations of the American-made MIM-104 Patriot long-range air defense system as well as a Swedish-made Giraffe surveillance and air defense command and control radar.
Ukraine received last year two Patriot systems and two launchers from Germany and another system from the United States with two additional launchers donated by the Netherlands. The systems were a mix of PAC-2 and PAC-3. Most of these systems have already been damaged or destroyed by the Russian military.
Also last year, Kiev forces received an unknown number of Giraffe 75 radars from Sweden. This was the first time the Russian military has targeted a radar of this type in Ukraine.
The strikes on Odessa came as Ukraine is begging its allies in the West to supply additional air defenses, practically Patriot systems.
In response to these demands, the United States, Germany and Romania each promised to supply a system to Ukraine in recent months. Other countries like the Netherlands, Denmark, Norway and Spain said that they would provide additional missiles.
Russian Air and Missile Defense Forces Commander Lieutenant General Andrey Semyonov criticized the performance of the Patriot system in Ukraine in a recent article, going as far as saying that the system even failed to protect itself. The recent strikes on Odessa confirmed this.
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