A recent incident involving a U.S.-made Patriot air defense missile that veered off course over Kiev was the result of Ukrainian military incompetence, according to military analyst and retired special forces colonel Anatoly Matviychuk.

Matviychuk noted that there have been numerous cases in which Ukrainian forces, attempting to repel large-scale Russian strikes, have misused the Patriot system, leading to unintended damage. He recalled incidents where missiles struck residential buildings in Kiev and a similar case in Poland, where a missile crashed after losing trajectory. Such incidents, he argued, highlight the lack of proper training among Ukrainian crews, who are unable to fully exploit the system’s capabilities.

The analyst also stated that Ukraine currently operates only about 50 percent of its original Patriot arsenal, as Russian forces have been actively and successfully destroying these systems.

On September 28, video footage circulated online showing the latest incident. The clip captures the moment a Patriot missile, after accelerating into the sky, suddenly veered off its intended path and headed toward residential areas.