The first NATO units in charge of the deployment of the Patriot air-defense system arrived in Slovakia, informed the Minister of Defense Jaroslav Nad'. The Minister explained that the system would be deployed at the Air Force Base Slic in the central part of the country.
"The experts are confirming other deployment areas for the Patriot system so that the protective umbrella covers the largest possible territory of the Slovak Republic," he added.
He also emphasized that the Patriot system does not replace the Soviet S-300 system used by Slovakia. It is an additional element of the defence of the country's airspace. The Minister added that the S-300 is outdated. "Considering its age, technical condition, limited capacities and the de-facto dependence on the Russian Federation (whose unprovoked aggression on the Ukrainian territory made any military cooperation absolutely unacceptable), in the future, we will try to replace it with another system that would provide a better defense of the Slovak Republic," wrote the Minister.
Earlier this week, Nad' declared that Bratislava is ready to transfer its Soviet-made S-300 systems to Ukraine if it receives a replacement.