Israel dismisses allegations of Patriot system deployment to Ukraine

The Israeli Foreign Ministry has unequivocally denied reports of transferring Patriot air defence systems, originally received from the United States and utilized in the 1990s, to Ukraine.

The denial comes in direct response to queries regarding a statement made by Israel's Ambassador to Ukraine, Michael Brodsky, which suggested such a transfer, Caliber.Az reports per Russian media.

An official from the Israeli Foreign Ministry stated, "Israel has not transferred Patriot systems to Ukraine." The source emphasized that this constituted an "official response" from the ministry.

Further commenting on Ambassador Brodsky's earlier remarks to Kyiv, the Israeli Foreign Ministry official confirmed, "The statement is incorrect."

Earlier, Israeli Ambassador to Ukraine, Michael Brodsky, confirmed the transfer in an interview with Ukrainian media.

He said the systems were originally used by Israel in the early 1990s during the First Gulf War, when they helped defend against Iraqi missile strikes. At that time, the United States supplied these systems to Israel.

“These Patriot systems are now in Ukraine,” Brodsky said.

“They were part of Israel’s arsenal in the early 1990s, and we agreed to send them to Ukraine. This support hasn’t been widely discussed, but it shows that Israel has contributed militarily.”

In May 2024, it was reported that the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) planned to phase out their US-made Patriot air defence systems, replacing them with more advanced technology.

Ukraine has repeatedly requested Patriot systems from its allies to defend against large-scale Russian missile strikes. These systems have proved particularly effective in intercepting Russian Kinzhal hypersonic missiles

By Vafa Guliyeva