Russia said it destroyed an underground missile and ammunition storage location in Deliatyn, a village near the Romanian border, on Friday using the Kinzhal (Dagger) high-precision hypersonic missiles, which can avoid most defence systems.
In his state-of-the-nation speech in 2018, Putin presented a slew of new weaponry, including the Kinzhal missile. The nuclear-capable hypersonic aero-ballistic air-to-ground missile has a range of over 2,000 kilometres, a top speed of Mach 10, and the capacity to make evasive manoeuvres at all stages of flight.
The assaults were the first use of the next-generation weapon since the start of the war in Ukraine, according to official news agency RIA Novosti, and western analysts believed they were the first time, hypersonic missiles had been deployed in battle.
The Kinzhal, which is meant to be fired from a MiG fighter plane, has been dubbed “an excellent weapon” by Russian President Vladimir Putin. It can travel at speeds of up to 10 times the speed of sound and, like a slower cruise missile, can manoeuvre in mid-flight, making it difficult to track and intercept by air defence systems.
The rockets can launch conventional warheads at higher speeds and with more accuracy than existing missiles, but they may also deliver nuclear bombs. China and the United States are among the countries working on the technology.
According to Vasily Kashin, a Russian analyst, the Kinzhal system’s higher penetration and destructive force would be more effective than subsonic missiles at destroying subterranean storage locations, while other analysts believe it would have little impact on the conflict’s outcome.
Another Russian analyst, Pavel Felgenhauer, said the missile would have little effect on the ground in Ukraine other than “providing a certain psychological and propaganda effect,” and that its usage may indicate Russian troops were running out of other options.
Russia may be out of Iskander short-range ballistic missiles, or Russia may choose to increase the stakes by deploying a nuclear-capable hypersonic missile, according to a Belgian defence strategy specialist, Joseph Henrotin.
The assaults were verified by Ukraine’s authorities, but the type of missiles fired has yet to be determined.
