REPORT: Ukrainian forces coming to Fort Sill to train on Patriot

FORT SILL, Okla. (KSWO) - Troops from the front line of the fight against Russia in Ukraine will be coming to Fort Sill to train on the Patriot missile system, according to a report from CNN and ABC News.

In the report released Tuesday morning, CNN says Ukrainian soldiers could be arriving as soon as next week, citing two U.S. officials familiar with the matter.

The training for the Ukrainians on the complex system is expected to take “several months,” said Laura Cooper, the deputy assistant secretary of defense for Russia, Ukraine and Eurasia to CNN.

In December, the United States government said they would be sending the Patriot missile system to Ukraine to help forces in their fight against ongoing missile bombardments from the Russian military.

According to CNN, the U.S. is providing one Patriot battery, which includes power-generating equipment, computers, an engagement control system and up to eight launchers.

A senior administration official told CNN last month that the “reality of what is going on” in Ukraine ultimately pushed them to provide the system.

The U.S. is not alone in providing the advanced system to the Ukrainians; Germany recently announced that it was sending Ukraine a second Patriot missile system from its own inventory, CNN said.

7News has reached out to Fort Sill for comment on the report and will update the story if one is received.