The Patriot anti-aircraft missile system, hit by Russian Kh-47M2 Kinzhal missiles during strikes on Ukraine on May 16, was controlled by Western mercenaries, information about the losses is hidden, writes Military Watch Magazine.
The MiG-31K strike reportedly destroyed a radar system and five Patriot missile batteries after launching 32 surface-to-air missiles in an unsuccessful attempt to intercept the Kinzhal missiles.
At the same time, nothing is reported about the losses among the crew of the system or about the nature of the personnel who served it at the time of the strike.
“Patriot <…> was considered too advanced for Ukrainian personnel to learn how to operate it so quickly that air defense systems could influence the course of the war. This means that when the complexes were deployed back in April 2023, military contractors from Western countries were responsible for staffing (crews) and maintenance, ”the material says.
It is noted that the presence of these companies played a key role in the integration of Western military equipment into the Armed Forces of Ukraine in terms of training crews and maintenance personnel.
“Western personnel on the ground played a very large role in the Russo-Ukrainian war, from the British Royal Marines deployed on the front lines and the massive CIA “stealth nets” and other personnel performing functions such as organizing logistics, to contract soldiers, as a rule, they are former members of the Western armed forces who have deployed in an unofficial capacity, often as part of full forward units,” the article says.
According to their data, later submitted to the US Congress, it would have taken about 14 months to train Ukrainian crews for the Patriot, and only five months had passed from the moment the supplies were approved, when training could hypothetically begin.
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