Russia Says It Used Hypersonic ‘Kinzhal’ Missiles to Attack
Russia Says It Used Hypersonic ‘Kinzhal’ Missiles for First Time
(Bloomberg) --
Russia said it fired hypersonic missiles from its “Kinzhal” system for the first time in the more than three-week invasion of Ukraine, to destroy an underground weapons storage site in the west of the country.
The Ministry of Defense said the military used Kinzhal (Dagger) missiles on Friday to target the site storing missiles and aviation ammunition in the village of Delyatyn, outside the city of Ivano-Frankivsk, according to an emailed statement.
The claimed strike marked the first use of the nuclear-capable advanced weapons system in the Ukraine war, state news service RIA Novosti said.
Ukraine didn’t report any Russian attack on the military facility overnight and did not immediately comment on Russia’s claims. There is also no mention of explosions on social media, though hitting a “big underground” ammunition storage would be loud. Bloomberg News cannot independently verify Russia’s reports.
The Kinzhal, which can carry conventional or nuclear warheads, flies 10 times faster than the speed of sound, or more than 2 miles per second, President Vladimir Putin said when he announced the system in an annual state-of-the-nation address in 2018.
The Kinzhal was among several latest-generation strategic weapons that Putin said at the time could overcome any U.S. missile defenses.
On Friday, Ukrainian authorities said a Russian missile strike hit an army barracks in the southern city of Mykolaiv with unconfirmed reports of several dozen soldiers killed.
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