Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed his admiration for the air defense system that allegedly shot down Russia’s Kinzhal missiles in a single night. Zelensky specifically praised the effectiveness of the US Patriot missile system and extended his gratitude to all those involved in the development of the air defense systems.
Kyiv had previously asserted that it had successfully intercepted six of the Kinzhal missiles, which are a crucial weapon for Russia known for their long-range strikes.
Zelensky emphasized the significant effort invested by Ukraine in acquiring such advanced weaponry, acknowledging the time, energy, arguments, meetings, and information work that contributed to the establishment of their air defense system.
This marked the first occasion in which Ukraine claimed to have intercepted multiple Kinzhal missiles, showcasing the capabilities of their recently deployed Western air defenses. Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, the commander-in-chief of Ukraine’s armed forces, confirmed the successful interception of all the missiles.
In contrast, Moscow refuted Kyiv’s assertion that their air defenses had downed the Kinzhal missiles. Russia’s defense ministry, as reported by the Zvezda military news outlet, claimed to have destroyed a US-built Patriot surface-to-air missile defense system using a Kinzhal missile.
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu disputed Ukraine’s claim, stating that Russia had not launched as many Kinzhal missiles as Ukraine reported being shot down.
Ukraine’s Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov hailed the achievement as another remarkable success for the Ukrainian air force.
During a videoconference with the Council of Europe, Zelensky confidently declared that 100 percent of the Russian missiles fired at Ukrainian territory overnight had been intercepted.
The Kinzhal missile, known as the “dagger,” is capable of rapidly accelerating to Mach 4 (4,900 km/h) after launch and can reach speeds of up to Mach 10, making it a hypersonic weapon. It has a range of 2,000 kilometers and can carry conventional or nuclear warheads. Russia acknowledged employing the weapon for the first time in the Ukrainian conflict last year but has only admitted to launching the missiles on a few occasions.
The sound of air raid sirens echoed throughout Ukraine, including Kyiv and its surrounding region, for over three hours on early Tuesday morning.
Reflecting on the progress made, Zelensky highlighted that a year ago, Ukraine was unable to intercept most of the terrorists’ missiles, particularly ballistic ones. He expressed his optimism, questioning if there was anything they couldn’t achieve if they were capable of such a feat.
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