Russia announced that it had used Kinzhal hypersonic missiles in Ukraine for the first time (LIVE UPDATES – SKY TG24 SPECIAL – REFUGEE MAP – VIDEOS AND REPORTS FROM UKRAINE). This was announced by the Moscow Defense Ministry. For the first time since invading Ukraine, Russian forces used Kinzhal hypersonic missiles, which destroyed a large underground depot of missiles and aerial munitions owned by Ukrainian troops in the southwestern Ivano-Frankivsk region. Moscow also announced the destruction of three S-300 anti-aircraft missile systems delivered to the Kiev troops. The radio surveillance centers of the Ukrainian secret service in Velykyi Dalnyk and Velykodolynske in the Odessa region were also destroyed.
Putin’s superweapon
deepening
Putin’s speech to the nation from the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow. PHOTO
Kinzhal is one of the six “next generation” weapons cited by Putin in his March 1, 2018 speech: it has a claimed range of 1,500 to 2,000 km with a nuclear or conventional payload of 480 kg. It is 8 meters long, 1 in diameter and has a launch weight of about 4,300 kg. Similar in size to the 9M723 Iskander short-range ballistic missile, it still shares distinctive features, including a redesigned tail section and reduced rudders. For British intelligence, the Kremlin, driven out by the “reach and ferocity of the Ukrainian resistance,” was forced to alter its plans and resort to a “strategy of attrition” that “involves the indiscriminate use of firepower.” Three weeks after the start of the military operation, this is expected to lead to an “increase in civilian casualties” and “destruction of the infrastructure” as well as “an intensification of the humanitarian crisis”.
Moscow: “A Success”
After launch, the Kinzhal quickly accelerates to Mach 4 and can reach speeds of up to Mach 10 (12,350 km/h). This speed, combined with the missile’s erratic trajectory and high maneuverability, can make it difficult to intercept. The missile was tested in southern Russia in December 2017 and called a success in footage released by Moscow’s Defense Ministry.