Ukrainian troops to receive Patriot missile training in Oklahoma

BBC News:

Ukrainian troops will receive training on the Patriot missile system in the US state of Oklahoma, American officials have said.

Around 90 to 100 soldiers will arrive from Ukraine at base Fort Sill as soon as next week, the Pentagon confirmed.

The training at Fort Sill, where US artillery troops also train, is expected to take several months.

Ukraine has said the advanced missile defence system will be a game-changer in the war with Russia.

“Once fielded, the Patriot… will contribute to Ukraine’s air defence capabilities, and provide another capability to the Ukrainian people to defend themselves against Russia’s ongoing aerial assaults,” Pentagon spokesman Pat Ryder told reporters at a briefing on Tuesday.

Last month, during a visit to Washington by Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelensky, President Joe Biden announced that the US would provide Ukraine with a Patriot missile battery.

In response, Russian President Vladimir Putin mocked the Patriot system as outdated and said Russia’s military would “knock down” its defences.

Patriot missiles are a surface-to-air system capable of destroying fast aerial targets such as cruise missiles.