Germany will deploy the promised Patriot air defenses around the Polish airport of Rzeszow by the end of January, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said during his visit to Warsaw on Jan. 13.
Monitoring group German Aid to Ukraine wrote earlier that two MIM-104 Patriot fire units and a total of 200 Bundeswehr soldiers will be deployed to Poland for an estimated six months to protect Polish airspace.
Pistorius called Rzeszow a key logistics hub for Ukraine and said he would personally ensure that the U.S.-made air defenses begin operating by the end of the month.
The Rzeszow-Jasionka airport is located less than 100 kilometers (62 miles) from the Ukrainian border and transports a significant percentage of Western materiel bound for the front lines in Ukraine. It is also a main stopover point for foreign leadership traveling to Kyiv on official visits.
Polish Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz said that the airport is also a key conduit for humanitarian support heading to Ukraine, adding that more than 90% of all allied aid flows through it.
Currently, a NASAMS air defense system protects the airport, which is manned by Norwegian soldiers.
Boldizsar Gyori
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