Russia claims first use of Hypersonic ‘Kinzhal’ missiles in Ukraine 

Russia claimed that it has fired hypersonic missiles from its “Kinzhal” system for the first time and destroyed an underground weapons storage site in western Ukraine.

Russian defense ministry officials said the country used a new hypersonic missile in an attack on Ukraine on Friday, marking its first use in combat. 

The defence ministry in Moscow confirmed that it used Kinzhal (Dagger) missiles to target the site storing missiles and aviation ammunition in Deliatyn—a village in south-western Ukraine only 100km from the border with Romania. 

Russia posted a video of what it said was its missile strike on the arms depot.

▫️Destruction of a weapons depot of the Armed Forces of Ukraine by high-precision missile weapons strike. We can see the exact hit of an underground hangar with weapons and ammunition. pic.twitter.com/sKTF46Tdb0

— Минобороны России (@mod_russia) March 19, 2022

Russia's Kinzhal hypersonic missile, is an air-to-ground weapon carried on Russian MiG-31K fighter jets and has a reported range of 1,240 miles (2,000 kilometers), according to a Tass report in 2018. It was among several latest-generation strategic weapons that Putin said at the time could overcome any US missile defenses. 

The Kinzhal ("Dagger" in Russian), missiles can carry conventional or nuclear warheads—flies 10 times faster than the speed of sound, or more than 2 miles per second. 

Their speed and ability to maneuver themselves to a target makes them extremely difficult to track and shoot down.

The United States (US), Russia, China and North Korea have been developing hypersonic weapons, some of which are launched into space, in pursuit of long-range flight and maneuverability.