Ukraine claimed using Patriot missiles for the first time to intercept a Russian hypersonic missile
Ukraine announced, on Saturday, that it had used the US Patriot air defense system for the first time to intercept a Russian hypersonic missile.
“Yes, we intercepted the matchless Kinzhal missile,” Mykola Oleshuk, the head of the Ukrainian Air Force, said via Telegram, adding the word Patriot and the insignia of the Ukrainian flag.
The “Kinzhal” is a hypersonic ballistic missile that rarely launched by Russia.
Russian President Vladimir Putin described the Kinzhal missile, which he presented to the public in 2018, as an “ideal weapon” that is very difficult for missile defenses to intercept.
It is noteworthy that Ukraine has received at least two Patriot systems, from the United States and Germany, to strengthen its air defenses, which were previously unable to intercept advanced Russian missiles such as the Kinzhal missiles.
The Ukrainian Air Force announced that a Russian Kinzhal hypersonic missile had been shot down in the Kiev region.
