Russia’s military claims to have destroyed a significant weapons facility in Ukraine using a hypersonic ballistic missile.
In Ivano-Frankivsk, western Ukraine, the Kinzhal hit an underground system containing missiles and aircraft ammo, according to the defense ministry.
The Kinzhal’s debut would be the first time the weapon, often known as the Dagger, has been utilized in combat.
Russia also employed the Bastion coastal missile system to demolish a military communications and reconnaissance center in the southern port city of Odessa, according to defence ministry spokesperson Igor Konashenkov.
The Ukrainian Air Force verified a Russian missile strike in Ivano-Frankivsk, but did not specify the weapons used.
In the south, a 38-hour curfew was imposed after two missile attacks in the Zaporizhzhia region killed nine people.
The Russian military also fired missiles into the western city of Lviv, where scores of civilians were receiving guns and grenade training from military veterans.
Hypersonic missiles, which can travel at speeds of more than five times the speed of sound, are expected to represent the next generation of weapons.
They are supposed to be difficult to follow and intercept due to their speed, maneuverability, and altitude, making them practically unstoppable.
Hypersonic missiles have remained a closely kept secret until recently, but Russian President Vladimir Putin has made no secret of his country’s investment in the weapons, which he claims were developed only in response to the US.
It can fly at 10 times the speed of sound – 7,672 mph – and hit a target 1,250 miles away when carried by MiG-31K fighter jets.
The US Tomahawk cruise missile, a subsonic long-range missile system, can reach speeds of roughly 550 miles per hour.
Since 2011, the Royal Navy and the French Navy have been developing their own hypersonic missile, which is anticipated to reach service in eight years.
The missile, codenamed Perseus, is believed to have an agile airframe driven by a ramjet motor.
The Kinzhal can carry both nuclear and conventional warheads.
