Israel’s Foreign Ministry has officially denied claims that the country transferred Patriot air defense systems to Ukraine, contradicting statements made by Israeli Ambassador to Ukraine Mikhael Brodsky.

The denial came after Brodsky told a blogger in an interview that Israel had ostensibly transferred weapons to Ukraine, specifically mentioning Patriot air defense systems that were previously in Israeli service. The ambassador did not specify when Ukraine allegedly received these systems.

“These are Israeli systems that were in IDF service in the early 1990s. We agreed to transfer them to Ukraine,” Brodsky stated. “Unfortunately, there hasn’t been much talk about it. But when people say Israel didn’t provide military aid — that’s simply not true.”

Official rebuttal from Israel’s Foreign Ministry

The Israeli Foreign Ministry issued a clarification following an inquiry from Ynet, stating that Ambassador Brodsky’s claims about Jerusalem transferring Patriot systems to Ukraine were incorrect.

“This is not true. Israel did not transfer Patriot systems to Ukraine,” the Ministry said, according to Ynet’s report on 10 June.

According to Ynet, Russia reportedly contacted Israel requesting clarification on Brodsky’s statement.

Reports in January suggested that Israel planned to transfer Patriot missiles to Ukraine, not the Patriot systems.

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Not the first denial of weapon transfer

This is not the first time Israel has been linked to alleged weapons transfers to Ukraine, which were later officially denied.

Previously, Israel was allegedly contemplating sending large quantities of Russian-made weapons seized from Hezbollah and Syria to Ukraine in 2024. The reported cargo allegedly included anti-tank guided missiles, rocket-propelled grenades, surface-to-air missiles, and ammunition that would be shipped via US C-17 aircraft to Rzeszów, Poland.

However, in February 2025, Israel’s Foreign Ministry called these earlier reports as “baseless” and confirmed no transfer of such arms occurred. Ambassador Brodsky himself stated at that time that “no such decision has been made by the Ministry of Defense,” calling the earlier reports a result of miscommunication.

The Israeli Patriot systems that once defended Tel Aviv in the ’90s are now saving Ukrainian cities from Russian missile strikes.

Israel has been helping Ukraine militarily, specifically by transferring Patriot air defense systems that are currently operating to protect Ukrainian skies. This was confirmed by the Israeli Ambassador to Ukraine, Michael Brodsky.

“These systems are now in Ukraine. These are Israeli systems that were in service in Israel in the early 1990s. We agreed to transfer them to Ukraine,” Brodsky said in an interview with Marichka Dovbenko.

The ambassador stressed that claims that Israel is not providing military aid are false.

“When people say Israel didn’t help militarily — that’s not true,” Brodsky emphasized.

The Patriot systems in question recently proved their effectiveness — on the night of 9 June, Ukrainian forces shot down all four Kinzhal aeroballistic missiles launched by Russian troops.

“The existing Patriot systems performed at 100% today. There is no other way to intercept such targets,” said Ukrainian Air Force spokesman Yurii Ihnat during a live broadcast on Channel 5.

He noted that the Patriots allow the Armed Forces of Ukraine to effectively destroy not only Kinzhal missiles but also other complex targets, including Iskander systems, capable of launching 800 kg missiles.