The city of Kharkiv without electricity after the strikes …

The US is expected to announce that it will supply Patriot batteries to Ukraine to bolster its anti-aircraft defense while Russia bombs its infrastructure. With this decision, the US government will make it clear to Russia and its European allies that it is ready to support Kyiv with its most advanced weapons, even if this equipment is not a panacea.

Patriots are “far from being the magic bullet” against the low-flying missiles and bombs dropped by drones that Russian forces use to systematically target Ukrainian infrastructure, asserts Ian Williams, of the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). ) in Washington.

But they would add a layer of protection to the Ukrainian anti-aircraft defense that the allies are building, and would be useful against Iranian short-range ballistic missiles that the West suspects Russia wants to acquire, precisely. “Having a layered surface-to-air defense helps when you’re dealing with these types of complex airstrikes,” he says.