Russia claims shooting down launcher, loading vehicle of US Patriot air defense system in Ukraine

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) - The Russian Defense Ministry claimed on Thursday that it shot down the launcher of the US-made air defense system Patriot in Ukraine.

"Operational and tactical aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), missile and artillery forces of the armed forces of the Russian Federation hit a launcher and a transport-loading vehicle of the Patriot anti-aircraft missile system manufactured in the United States," the ministry said in a statement.

Also, an S-200 anti-aircraft guided missile, eight HIMARS multiple rocket launchers, as well as the Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAM) guided aerial bomb, converted for hitting ground targets, were destroyed, the ministry said.

Wednesday night, Ukraine also launched massive drone attacks, and 95 UAVs were shot down in different parts of the frontline, it said.

On Jan. 24, Russia’s Defense Ministry accused Ukraine of shooting down a plane carrying 65 captured Ukrainian servicemen for a prisoner exchange with a Patriot missile.

The crew and all passengers on the plane were killed, it said, calling it "a terrorist attack" mounted to accuse Russia of killing Ukrainian servicemen.

"You asked why they did this. ... It can be assumed that they did it by accident. It's a crime anyway. If this is the case, then it is a crime of negligence. There is such a legal term," he noted.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he will insist on an international investigation into the crash.