On January 26, the Russian military officially declared the successful neutralization of two launchers associated with the Patriot air defense complex, an integral component of the Ukrainian army’s arsenal. The announcement, disseminated by the Russian news agency Interfax, highlighted the utilization of operational-tactical aviation, missile forces, artillery, and unmanned aerial vehicles by deployed military groups in the targeted strike. The affected assets included two U.S.-manufactured Patriots, a French SAMP-T, and a German-made IRIS-T, along with three associated radar stations and six field ammunition depots of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. As of January 27, both Washington and Kyiv have yet to confirm the veracity of these claims by the Russian Ministry of Defense.
Last summer, the Russian military reported a significant event involving a missile strike from the Kinzhal hypersonic complex in Kyiv, reportedly destroying a radar station and five Patriot launchers. However, subsequent media reports indicated the continued operational capability of the complex.
The Russian Ministry of Defense has also asserted recent achievements in countering the Ukrainian S-300 air defense system. The reported incidents in the Cherkasy region on January 27 involved the use of operational-tactical aviation, unmanned aerial vehicles, missile troops, and artillery. Targets included the S-300 anti-aircraft missile system, as well as fuel and aviation weapons depots in the Kirovograd and Dnipropetrovsk regions, according to an official release on Saturday.
Additionally, the Russian military conducted significant strikes against the Ukrainian army’s units and equipment at 102 different sites, as indicated in a statement from the Ministry of Defense.
Referring to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, on February 21, Russia alleged an attack on its border facility by Ukrainian forces, resulting in the deaths of five Ukrainian fighters. These claims were swiftly dismissed by Ukraine as ‘false flags.’ On the same day, Russia formally recognized the self-proclaimed areas of DPR and LPR, extending this recognition to cover all Ukrainian regions, as declared by President Putin. Subsequently, Russia deployed a battalion of military forces, including tanks, into these recognized areas. On February 24, 2022, global attention was captured by a forceful military assault on Ukraine led by Russia’s Armed Forces, stationed at the Ukrainian border. Despite the war-like circumstances, the Russian government opted for the term “special military operation” to characterize the events.
