Ukrainian air defense shot down a Russian hypersonic missile for the first time during an attack on the capital Kiev this week, the air force said on Saturday, in a potentially major blow to the Kremlin’s campaign of long-range airstrikes.
Kinjal, which means “dagger” in Russian, is one of six “next generation” weapons unveiled by President Vladimir Putin in 2018, when the Russian leader claimed it had not been shot down by any air defense system in the world May go.
Ukrainian Air Force commander Mykola Oleshchuk said the Kh-47 Kinzal was shot down on Thursday night in the area outside Kiev. The Air Force said it was taken down by a US Patriot air defense system.
“I congratulate the Ukrainian people on a historic event. Yes, we have killed the ‘unique’ Kinjal,” he said on the Telegram app.
The US Patriot system is a series of sophisticated air defense units supplied by the West to help Ukraine repel a months-long Russian campaign of airstrikes that have targeted critical infrastructure, power facilities and other sites .
Hundreds of civilians have been killed in attacks by Russia in October before winter. The strike failed to cripple the power grid, but caused widespread power cuts and other outages. Russia denied targeting civilians.
Russia, which did not immediately comment on Ukraine’s statement about the Kinjal, has claimed in the past that the missile has no equivalent in the West.
The air-launched ballistic missile, which can reach speeds of up to Mach 10 (12,350 km/h), is capable of carrying nuclear or conventional warheads. Its range is said to be 1,500 to 2,000 km.
Ukraine said the missile was fired during a drone attack on Kiev and other cities early Thursday.
The air force had not previously disclosed whether a Kinjal was used for the attack, although Kiev officials immediately said a ballistic missile was involved.
Thursday’s airstrike came a day after Russia accused Ukraine of a failed attempt to assassinate President Vladimir Putin in a drone strike on the Kremlin citadel in Moscow and threatened retaliation.
Moscow has since accused Washington of involvement, allegations denied by both Ukraine and the United States.
Russia has already stepped up drone and missile attacks on Ukrainian territories over the past week, as Kiev prepares to launch a counteroffensive against Russian forces that have made inroads into occupied land in the south and east.
Officials said American Patriot missiles were delivered to Ukraine only last month.
Kinjal missiles have been used on several occasions in Ukraine. The first known use of the weapon in combat occurred when Russia said it fired a missile at an ammunition dump in southwestern Ukraine on March 19, 2022.
Ukraine’s air force was previously seen as unable to shoot down ballistic missiles, which Russia used to attack residential areas and Ukraine’s power infrastructure.
The air force said on Saturday it shot down eight Shahad drones launched by Russia in an overnight attack on eastern and southeast Ukrainian regions.
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