Ukraine said on April 19 that it has received its first Patriot air-defense systems, and the United States announced a package of military aid worth $325 million as Russia launched a fresh wave of drone attacks on the southern port city of Odesa.
"Today, our beautiful Ukrainian skies have become more secure because Patriot air-defense systems have arrived in Ukraine," Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov wrote on Twitter.
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Reznikov wrote that the Ukrainian air-defense forces have trained to master the complexities of the Patriot systems "as quickly as they could" and thanked the United States, Germany, and the Netherlands for having "kept their word" on delivering the system.
The mobile surface-to-air Patriot system is one of the most advanced in the world and can be used against aircraft, ballistic missiles, and cruise missiles.
The United States and Germany pledged Patriot systems to Ukraine following waves of Russian strikes on Ukrainian energy infrastructure that began in October.
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has said Patriot will "significantly" beef up Ukraine's air defense.
An additional $325 million in U.S. military aid announced on April 19 also will help.
The package will send rockets for the High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) that the Pentagon says Ukraine has used effectively on the battlefield, as well as an array of other missiles, small-arms ammunition, and anti-tank ammunition.
The supplies will be pulled from Pentagon inventories, meaning they can go quickly to the front line as Ukraine prepares to launch a counteroffensive against Russian forces.
Counteroffensive actions by Ukrainian troops are already taking place in eastern Ukraine, Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Malyar said. The dates of counteroffensive actions will not be announced, Malyar added, but certain actions already are under way in areas around Lyman, Avdiyivka, and Maryinka.
The announcement of the arrival of Patriot systems and the U.S. weapons package came after Russia attacked the southern port city of Odesa with Iranian-made drones overnight.
"This time, 10 out of 12 Shahed kamikaze drones were destroyed by the members of the Odesa antiaircraft missile brigade of the Southern Air Command," the military said in a statement.
Yuriy Kruk, the head of the military administration in the Odesa region, said a public infrastructure target was hit during the drone attack, but there were no immediate reports of casualties.
As Russia Increases Shelling and Air Strikes On Bakhmut, Ukraine Retaliates With Its Own
In the east, Ukrainian defenders repelled more than 60 attacks as Russian troops continue their assault on Bakhmut, Avdiyivka, and Maryinka, Ukraine's General Staff said in its daily report on April 19.
The fiercest battles are fought for Bakhmut and Maryinka, which remain the epicenter of hostilities, the military said.
The months of fighting for Bakhmut in particular has turned into one of the bloodiest battles of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, with both sides reportedly suffering heavy casualties.
The Ukrainian military said April 19 that it had taken delivery of France's light AMX-10 RC armored fighting vehicles, which were "already in service."