Ukraine shot down 140,000 Russian missiles, drones and aircraft over 4 years — including 44,000 Shahed-type drones now hitting US bases in the Middle East.
Ukraine sent 200 advisers to the Gulf.
Trump's response: "The last person we need help from is Zelenskyy" — The Times. 1/
Despite Trump's dismissal, US Central Command requested those Ukrainian advisers now deployed in Kuwait, Qatar, UAE and Saudi Arabia.
"It was short-sighted dismissing what Ukraine can contribute in specialist advice," says RUSI's Justin Bronk. 2/
Ukrainian officers were astonished to see Gulf states firing as many as eight Patriot missiles (each $3+ million) at a single target — even using them to hit cheap drones.
Ukrainians use only one or two missiles to down Russian ballistic missiles. 3/
"I don't understand what they had been doing, what they've been looking at for the four years we've been fighting," a senior Ukrainian officer said.
The US and Gulf allies appear to have ignored Ukrainian data on improving Patriot intercept rates. 4/
On March 1, three US F-15E fighter jets were shot down by Kuwaiti air defence while pursuing drones.
"In any war friendly fire happens, but in this particular case it was clear negligence," the Ukrainian officer said. 5/
In the first four days of the Iran war, the US and allies launched 800+ Patriot missiles—200 more than Ukraine received in three years.
"Often they were firing thoughtlessly." They used $6 million SM-6 missiles to shoot down $70,000 Shaheds. 6/
Cheap Shaheds caused billions in damage to US and Gulf assets. A $1 billion US early warning radar was hit. At least one $300 million air defence radar was destroyed.
Both were clearly visible in satellite imagery for two months before being struck. 7/
On May 13, 2023, "Matyoryi," a 25-year-old Patriot officer, shot down three Russian jets and two helicopters over Russia's Bryansk region by driving his battery close to the border for an ambush.
He turned defensive systems into offensive weapons. 8/
Matyoryi's team found ways to assemble and dismantle their Patriot battery far faster than American training manuals prescribed — firing and escaping before detection.
They ambushed Russian aircraft in skies Moscow thought were safe. 9/
Colonel Kyrylo Peretyatko, Hero of Ukraine, commanded a NASAMS battery that shot down 12 Russian cruise missiles in two minutes.
"Such operations have not existed in world history. This is a completely different war, which all countries are studying." 10X
Source:
thetimes.com/world/russia-u…
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