The Netherlands handed over three Patriot air defense systems to Ukraine

On November 28, Dutch Defense Minister Ruben Brekelmans announced the transfer of three Patriot missile launchers to Ukraine. He wrote about this on social media.

The Dutch minister noted that Ukrainians are facing a difficult winter, as Russia’s destructive airstrikes continue.

Ukrainians face a tough winter, as devastating airstrikes go on and on. That’s why we delivered 3 Patriot launch tubes. This saves lives and protects vital infrastructure. It is and remains in our common interest to stop Russian aggression, Brekelmans wrote.

Brekelmans announced in September that the Netherlands plans to supply Ukraine with three Patriot launchers “very soon”.

Ukraine’s then-Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba noted delays in some of the Patriot systems promised to Ukraine in late summer and urged partners to expedite the process.

Russia’s tactics: to overload Ukraine’s air defense

The Ukrainian Armed Forces have received many advanced medium- and long-range air defense systems from Western allies. Thanks to these supplies, Ukraine’s air defenses manage to shoot down most of the Russian drones and missiles. However, Russian air attacks continue to plague Ukraine nearly three years into Russia’s all-out war.

Russian troops employ the tactics of massive airstrikes, combining their attacks with dozens of war drones and missiles of various types. In addition, Putin’s troops attack many regions of the country simultaneously. Thus, the Russians are overloading Ukraine’s air defense system. 

Due to the overwhelming air defense, some missiles and drones are able to reach their targets, resulting in the destruction of infrastructure and residential buildings in Ukrainian cities. We see devastating pictures of the aftermath of these strikes in residential areas every week. Thus, air defense strengthening is needed to repel massive attacks and close the sky over Ukraine to Russian missiles.

Blackouts in Ukraine after Russia’s missile and drone attacks

Due to the Russian attacka in November, Ukraine experiences emergency blackouts across the country. The authorities announced outage schedules, a measure triggered by Russian missile and drone attacks on energy infrastructure.

According to Ukrainian authorities, the main target of the complex, combined attack by all these numerous cruise, ballistic, and aerial ballistic missiles and attack drones of the Russian Federation, was Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. Russia’s goal is to leave people without electricity and heating in winter time.

On the night of November 26, Russia launched a record number of drones to strike Ukrainian cities—188. Ukraine’s air defense shot down 76 drones, while electronic warfare claimed the lives of 95 others.

However, not all Russian attack drones were shot down. The Air Force, as well as local media, reported that critical infrastructure was hit.