On March 9, Russia launched a series of attacks, beginning with drones to detect air defense, followed by missiles of various classes, including six Kinzhal missiles. Natalia Gumenyuk, spokeswoman for the South Command, stated that Russia was checking to see if Ukraine had MIM-104 Patriot anti-aircraft missile systems prior to the attack, as the preliminary information that Ukraine was already equipped with Patriot systems was of great importance.