Patriot Missiles Evidence of U.S. Involvement in War—Russian Ambassador

Training Ukrainian servicemen to use Patriot missile defense systems is "another confirmation" of U.S. involvement in the war in Ukraine, the Russian ambassador to Washington, D.C. has said.

Anatoly Antonov was reacting to the Pentagon's announcement on Tuesday that up to 100 Ukrainians would start training on the systems as early as next week at the U.S. Army base in Fort Sill, Oklahoma.

The Patriots are among the most advanced defense systems in the U.S. arsenal and their supply to Ukraine was a key element of the $1.85 billion security assistance support package announced by the Department of Defense in December.

Antonov told the Russian state news agency Tass that the training on American soil was "another confirmation of Washington's de facto involvement in the Ukrainian conflict on the side of Nazi criminals from Kyiv."

He also said U.S. media reports about the training of Ukrainian troops at Fort Sill had noted that American "involvement into the confrontation is growing" and that the administration of President Joe Biden "is transferring new weapons" to Kyiv "to increase its offensive capabilities."

"The real goal of the administration is to inflict on Russia as much damage on the battlefield as possible," he added, "using Ukrainians as proxies."

When contacted for a response, a Pentagon spokesperson told Newsweek: "Russia alone is responsible for this war of choice and the U.S. and its allies and partners will stand with Ukraine in its fight for democracy, sovereignty and territorial integrity."

The U.S. is the biggest supplier of military and financial aid to Ukraine, but has been attempting to walk the tightrope of not being seen to be escalating the conflict.

The Patriot systems use powerful radar and would be able to target ballistic missiles, aircrafts and drones, which Russian forces are using to batter Ukrainian infrastructure.

The Pentagon's press secretary, Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, said training on the systems, which is thought to take up to a year, will be expedited for the Ukrainians to "several months."

Fort Sill, where the training is taking place, is home to the U.S. Army's field artillery school and is located near Lawton in southwest Oklahoma, about 90 miles from Oklahoma City.

Ryder said the Patriot system would "contribute to Ukraine's air defense capabilities and provide another capability to the Ukrainian people to defend themselves against Russia's ongoing aerial assaults."

However, retired U.S. General Mark Hertling told CNN last month that he was concerned it would take some time for Ukrainian troops up to speed on the system, which he said would not be able to defend the whole of Ukraine.

In an interview that aired on Christmas Day, President Vladimir Putin vowed that Russia would "100 percent" destroy the Patriot systems delivered to Ukraine.

Update 01/11/23, 11:10 a.m. ET: This article has been updated with a statement from the Pentagon.