Ukraine’s Patriots will be Destroyed: Russia

The U.S.-made Patriot missile defense systems will be considered “legitimate targets” for Russian forces if supplied to Ukraine, a top ranking Russian official has said.

Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told state-controlled media on Wednesday that Patriots will “certainly” be regarded as legitimate targets.

Peskov’s comments come after western media reported citing U.S. officials that Patriots would be shipped to Ukraine to help protect its air space.

On December 14, Ukraine’s capital Kyiv reported multiple explosions likely caused by a series of Russian missile or drone strikes for the first time in weeks. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko wrote in a post on Telegram that there were explosions in a central district of the capital that is home to many government agencies and buildings.

"I would refrain from comment for now, though, because these are just media reports. Nowadays, media reports are an unreliable thing. Let us wait for some official information," Peskov added.

The approval to deliver the systems to Ukraine could come later this week. The Patriots will come from Pentagon stocks and be moved from another country overseas.

Pentagon spokesman Patrick Ryder said on December 13 that he was unable to say anything about the supply of Patriots to Ukraine.

A senior U.S. defense official told Financial Times in late November that Biden administration has been urgently amending its plans to prioritize the delivery of generators and additional air defense systems, including NASAMS.

"There may be a mix of air defense capabilities that we can provide very soon and others that we can provide down the road and we already are looking at all possible capabilities," the official had said.