Russia fires hypersonic missile in first recorded use during conflict
The Russian MoD has released a video showing the hyperonic missile being fired from a MiG-31K. (Photo: Russian MoD)
Russia has released videos of two reported uses of hypersonic missiles to strike Ukrainian positions, which marks the first recorded use of the system during any conflict.
Russian Ministry of Defence spokesperson, Igor Konashenkov, has claimed that Russia has fired two hypersonic missiles into Ukraine, first on Friday and then again on Sunday.
On Friday, March 18, the Kinzhal hypersonic aeroballistic missile system destroyed a Ukrainian underground warehouse of missiles and ammunition in the Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast.
The second incident occurred on Sunday, March 20, when Konashenkov announced the second Kinzhal missile had destroyed a fuel depot in Mykolaiv oblast. Both were fired from a MIG-31.
According to Russian figures, the Kinzhal has a range of up to 2,000km (1,240mi) and can travel at speeds faster than 6,000km/h.
Although the missile can carry a nuclear warhead, neither of these reported strikes were nuclear in nature.
While Russia seeks to show strength and intimidate NATO through the use of hypersonic missiles, their use doesn’t have a significant tactical effect, conventional missiles could have achieved the same results.
Moreover, these incidents may even be a sign of weakness if the nation is short on conventional precision-guided missiles, as was suggested by the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence last week in a statement that claimed Russia had used almost their entire stocks of Iskander and Kalibr missiles.
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