DELYATIN, Ukraine — Russia’s Ministry of Defense said Saturday that it used powerful Kinzhal hypersonic missiles to destroy a covert military storage area in western Ukraine on Friday.
“On March 18, the Kinzhal aviation missile system with hypersonic aeroballistic missiles destroyed a large underground warehouse of missiles and aviation ammunition of Ukrainian troops in the village of Delyatin, Ivano-Frankivsk region,” the ministry stated.
⚡️ Russia uses newest Kinzhal hypersonic missiles to bombard Ukraine.
— The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) March 19, 2022
Russian Defense Ministry said Russia’s newest air-to-ground missile was used to destroy an arms depot in western Ivano Frankivsk Oblast. This is the first time this type of missile was used in Ukraine.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has boasted in the past that Russia’s development of hypersonic missiles puts it ahead of the world in military advances, The Washington Post reported.
Specifically, Putin stated in a 2018 address to Russia’s parliament that the country had developed an “invincible” missile that could deliver a warhead at hypersonic speed, CNN reported.
Although Moscow released video of the attack near the village of Deliatyn, claiming the facility was an arms depot, the claim that a Kinzhal missile was used could not immediately be independently verified, both the Post and CNN reported.
A Ukrainian air force official confirmed to a local news outlet Saturday that a Russian missile targeted a military warehouse in the Deliatyn area in western Ukraine, but he said it was not yet clear whether the missile was a Kinzhal, the Associated Press reported.
Here’s what we know about Kinzhal hypersonic missiles, which translate to “dagger” missiles in Russian:
What makes them hypersonic?
According to Space.com, hypersonic missiles are weapons designed to fly at speeds greater than five times the speed of sound, or Mach 5, which is about 3,800 mph. That speed, coupled with the missile’s maneuverability, makes them extremely difficult to track or shoot down.
How powerful is Russia’s new weapon?
According to a 2018 Russian state news report, the Kinzhal hypersonic missile is an air-to-ground weapon carried on Russian MiG-31K fighter jets that has a reported range of 1,240 miles.
Is Russia the only country with this technology?
The United States, Russia, China and North Korea have been developing hypersonic weapons, “some of which are launched into space, in pursuit of long-range flight and maneuverability,” Space.com reported.
What prompted Friday’s Kinzhal hypersonic missile strike?
Military analyst Rob Lee of the War Studies Department at King’s College London told the Post that the missile may have been used to test its capacity in a war situation or because of its superior penetrating capacities when compared with other missiles. Lee also said it may indicate that Russia is running low on other missiles.
Are Kinzhal hypersonic missiles Russia’s most powerful?
Putin has stated that Russia is also developing a hypersonic intercontinental ballistic missile called Avangard that will travel at Mach 20 to reach global targets, Space.com reported.
According to the Post, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu announced in January that the first regiment of Russia’s strategic intercontinental ballistic missiles had been fully rearmed with Avangard hypersonic warheads, while the Tass state news agency reported in February that a second regiment would be armed with Avangard warheads by the close of 2022.
Learn more about the Avangard missile.
©2022 Cox Media Group
