ATLANTA (MaraviPost): In an acceleration of the Conflict, Russia has raised the stakes by using hypersonic Kinzhal (Dagger) missiles to destroy a large weapons depot in Ukraine’s western Ivano-Frankivsk region.
Russia’s Interfax news agency said it was the first time Russia had deployed the hypersonic Kinzhal system since it sent its troops into Ukraine on Feb. 24.
Defence ministry spokesperson Igor Konashenkov told a briefing that the underground depot hit by the Kinzhal system on Friday housed Ukrainian missiles and aircraft ammunition, according to a recording of the briefing shared by Russian news agencies.
The Kh-47M2 Kinzhal is a Russian nuclear-capable hypersonic aero-ballistic air-to-ground missile. It has a claimed range of more than 2,000 km, Mach 10 speed, and an ability to perform evasive maneuvers at every stage of its flight. This is definitely a game changer.
The Kinzhal, which can carry conventional or nuclear warheads, flies ten times faster than the speed of sound, or more than two miles per second, President Vladimir Putin said when he announced the system in an annual state-of-the-nation address in 2018.
