Ukraine Says it Downed Russian Hypersonic Missile With US Patriot System

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Facts

  • Mykola Oleshchuk, head of Ukraine's air force, claimed on Saturday that Ukraine had successfully downed a Russian hypersonic missile over Kyiv using newly acquired American Patriot missile defense systems.1
  • Russia has launched its hypersonic missile — known as the Kinzhal — sparingly throughout the conflict with Ukraine, often at high-priority targets. It was last used in early March when Russia blamed Ukraine's security services for a terror attack in the Russian region of Bryansk.2
  • Oleshchuk's announcement on Saturday, if confirmed, makes it the first known time that Ukraine, let alone any other country, has shot down the Khinzal missile.1
  • The Kinzhal is one of the latest and most advanced Russian weapons. Russia says it has a range of around 1,250 miles and flies at around 10 times the speed of sound, making it hard to intercept. Russia hasn't yet commented on Ukraine's claim that it shot down the missile.1
  • Meanwhile, Ukraine's air force also announced on Saturday that it destroyed eight Russian drones launched into Ukraine overnight. However, missile and artillery attacks were reported in the regions of Kherson — where two civilians were injured — and Kharkiv. Russia was also accused of using white phosphorus munitions in Bakhmut on Friday night — the incendiary chemical that burns but isn't considered a war crime unless used to target civilians.3
  • Elsewhere, on Friday, Tamila Tasheva, Ukraine's representative in Crimea, claimed that Western politicians are privately cautioning Ukraine to abandon its ambitions of militarily retaking Crimea, saying it could have huge consequences, including Russia's possible use of nuclear weapons. Tasheva disagreed with this assessment, saying Ukraine would likely proceed with plans "soon."4

Sources: 1Associated Press (a), 2Associated Press (b), 3UKRINFORM, and 4Ukrainska Pravda.

Narratives

  • Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by Defence Post. Using US weaponry, Ukraine's air force successfully detected, tracked, and destroyed Russia's so-called hypersonic missile. Russia claims these Kinzhal missiles are "unstoppable." Well, it turns out they're not.
  • Pro-Russia narrative, as provided by TASS. Even if Ukraine's claims to have shot down Russia's Kinzhal prove to be accurate, the fact remains that Russia has much more advanced weaponry in its arsenal, including the Iskander-M and S-300 missiles. That has been repeatedly demonstrated throughout this conflict.

Predictions