Moscow, August 17—The ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine has intensified with both sides making counter-claims over the occupation and recovery of the Russian border city of Kursk. In a significant escalation, the Russian Ministry of Defense has announced the destruction of three Western missile defense systems deployed in Ukraine, including US-made Patriot systems and the German-made IRIS-T system.

According to a report by the Hindustan Times, the Russian Defense Ministry confirmed the strike in a video released on Friday. The footage, captured by drones, shows two Patriot launchers and an AN/MPQ-65 radar station located in a field in the Dnipropetrovsk region of Ukraine. The video then depicts the field being struck by an Iskander-M missile cluster bomb, leading to the destruction of both the radar station and the Patriot launcher.

This development comes after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky appealed to the United States and NATO allies for advanced air defense systems to counter the ongoing Russian airstrikes. In response, the US and its allies supplied Ukraine with an unspecified number of these systems, which now appear to have become targets for Russian forces.

In a separate but related incident, Ukrainian forces have reportedly destroyed a strategically important bridge in Russia's Kursk region. The bridge was a critical supply route for the Kremlin, used to transport resources to the Russian military. The destruction of this bridge is expected to severely impact the Russian army's logistics and supply chain in the region. However, Russian authorities have yet to officially comment on the bridge's destruction.

The conflict, which began on February 24, 2022, when Russian President Vladimir Putin initiated military operations in Ukraine, has now entered its 904th day. Despite significant casualties on both sides, the war shows no signs of abating, with recent escalations further intensifying the situation along the Russia-Ukraine border.