Will Patriots promised by Trump boost Ukraine’s defence against Russia?

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, pictured a year ago, visits a site at an undisclosed location in Germany where Ukrainian soldiers are trained to use the Patriot air defence missile system [File: Jens Buttner/Pool via Reuters]

Kyiv, Ukraine – Heavy thuds that resemble fast hip-hop beats fill the night air when MIM-104 Patriots, air defence systems made in the United States, get to work.

Each Patriot surface-to-air launcher can shoot up to 32 missiles within seconds – and hit Russian ballistic missiles closing in on their targets.