KYIV (AP) – The Ukrainian Air Force on Saturday claimed it used a newly acquired US Patriot defense system to shoot down a Russian hypersonic missile over Kiev. This is the first known time the country has been able to intercept one of Moscow’s most advanced missiles.
Air Force Commander Mykola Oleshchuk said in his Telegram post that earlier this week a Kinzhal-type ballistic missile was intercepted during a nighttime attack on the Ukrainian capital. It was also the first time Ukraine was known to have deployed a Patriot defense system.
“Yes, we shot down the ‘unique’ Kinzhal,” Oreshchuk wrote. “It happened during a night attack on May 4 in the skies of the Kiev region.”
Oleshchuk said the Kh-47 missile was launched from Russian territory by his MiG-31K aircraft and was shot down by the Patriot’s missile. The Kinzhal is one of Russia’s newest and most advanced weaponry. According to the Russian military, the air-launched ballistic missile has a range of up to 2,000 km (about 1,250 miles) and travels ten times faster than her speed of sound, making it difficult to intercept.
The combination of hypersonic speed and heavy warhead allows the Kinzhal to destroy highly fortified targets such as bunkers and mountain tunnels.
The Ukrainian military had previously admitted that it had no means of intercepting the Kinzhals.
“They said the Patriot was an outdated American weapon and that Russian weapons were the best in the world,” Air Force spokesman Yuri Inat told Ukraine’s Channel 24 television station. “Well, we’ve confirmed that it’s effective against hypersonic missiles, too,” Inato said.
He said Kinzhal’s successful interception was “a slap in the face for Russia.”
Ukraine received her first batch of Patriot missiles in late April. It does not specify how many systems it has or where they were deployed, but they are known to have come from the United States, Germany, and the Netherlands.
Germany and the US have each confirmed that she has at least one system on the air, and the Netherlands says she has two systems deployed, but the number of systems currently in operation is not obvious.
The Ukrainian military has undergone the extensive training required to effectively locate, lock on with radar, and launch targets using the system. Up to 90 employees are required to operate and maintain each battery.
Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov said he first asked about the Patriot system when he visited the United States in August 2021. This was months before the all-out Russian invasion, but he was seven years after Russia illegally annexed Ukraine’s Crimea peninsula. He described owning the system as a “dream”, but returned to the United States and was told it was impossible.
The Patriot was first used in the United States in the 1980s. Analysts say the system costs about $4 million per rocket, and the launchers about $10 million each.
At such a price, it was widely believed that Ukraine would only use the Patriot against Russian aircraft or hypersonic missiles.
Also on Saturday, Ukrainian special forces accused Russia of using phosphorous ammunition to wrest control of the eastern city of Bakhmut from Ukrainian forces.
Russian forces have been trying to capture the city for more than nine months, but Ukrainian forces still hold positions on the western edge of the city.
