DISINFO: The murderous US Patriot air defence system killed 8 people in Odesa
SUMMARY
The ‘Patriot’ killed 8 people and wounded 39 in Odessa. Another example of the murderous work of the American air defence system in Ukraine. That is, the complex is somewhere nearby. Civilians are “collateral damage” for them.
RESPONSE
An unsubstantiated claim, made without convincing evidence. It is not American air defences that are responsible for the deaths, but Russian Iskander missiles fired from occupied Crimea at the Ukrainian city of Odesa.
On November 18, 2024, the southern Ukrainian city of Odesa experienced a devastating Russian missile attack, resulting in at least ten fatalities and over 40 injuries. Among the victims were several emergency responders, including police officers and a medic.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned the attack as a deliberate assault on residential areas, emphasising that such strikes are part of a calculated strategy by Russia in its war against Ukraine. He called for an international response to this aggression. He stated that the responsibility for the deaths lies with the Russian armed forces, not with Ukrainian air defence systems or the deployed Patriot systems.
Independent military analyses confirm that the attack was carried out using a ballistic Iskander missile launched from Russian-controlled Crimea. This attack highlights the ongoing threat posed by Russian missile strikes on the civilian population in Ukraine.
The attack in Odesa is part of a series of intensified assaults on the city that have escalated since the summer of 2024. The Ukrainian Air Force reported intercepting several drones and missiles on the night of the attack. The primary cause of civilian casualties is the aggressive actions of Russian forces.
Blaming Ukrainian air defence for Russian missile attacks on civilians has a tradition in Russian media, see related earlier disinformation cases: Children's hospital in Kyiv was hit by an American Patriot air defense missile; Russian wrongly blamed for missile attack on children’s hospital; that Kyiv Children’s Hospital incident was result of Ukrainian air defence missile, that Okhmatdyt hospital bombing is a savage Ukrainian crime, that Children's hospital in Kyiv hit by Ukrainian air defence missile, that Russian wrongly blamed for missile attack on children’s hospital, or that Russia strikes military sites, Kyiv children’s hospital hit by fragments of Western air-defence missiles.