GNOUYEN, Germany—Germany on Monday sent the first two of three Patriot air defense units sent to the Polish town of Zamoścz, near the Ukrainian border, to be deployed to fend off stray missile attacks.
Last November, two men were killed by a Ukrainian stray missile that hit the region’s Polish village of Przewodow, raising fears that the war in Ukraine could spread beyond its borders.
As a result, Berlin proposed deploying three Patriot units to Poland to secure airspace.
Ground air defense systems such as Raytheon’s Patriot are built to intercept incoming missiles.
“One of the reasons why Germany is a patriot and supports Poland’s NATO eastern flank is because it confirmed that the conflict between Russia and Ukraine could spill over to NATO member states. Gnoyen before the departure of the Patriots .
Sievers, commanding German forces in Poland, emphasized the defensive nature of the Patriot system.
“We are not the only defenders on the ground. Britain and America are also on the ground,” he said.
“Patriot is a strictly defensive system and we hope it will provide sufficient protection to prevent attacks and accidents like November’s in the future,” he added.
