Ukraine announced today, Tuesday, that it has evidence of Russia launching an advanced hypersonic missile at the capital Kyiv, marking the first time this has occurred since the war began nearly two years ago. The Kyiv Scientific Research Institute, affiliated with the Ukrainian Ministry of Justice, posted on Telegram that debris recovered after the attack on February 7 indicates the Russian army used a "Zircon" cruise missile, which moves faster than sound. Experts say this missile is nearly impossible to intercept. The institute added that "the markings on the parts and fragments, along with the identification of components and characteristics of the weapon type, indicate the first-ever use of this type of missile in the ongoing conflict," according to CNN.
The institute accompanied the post with a video showing dozens of pieces of debris believed to be from the new missile. Ukrainian authorities reported four deaths and 38 injuries in Kyiv during the attacks on February 7; however, no direct casualties were attributed to the "Zircon" missile. Reports in Russian state media indicated that this missile had been deployed on a warship. Experts believe that if this missile lives up to the claims made by the Russian government, it is a "huge weapon," according to CNN.
According to the U.S.-based Missile Defense Coalition, the speed of the "Zircon" makes it impervious to interception by the best Western missile defense systems, such as Patriot. The coalition states its speed reaches 8 Mach, or approximately 9,900 kilometers per hour (6,138 miles per hour). Hypersonic speed is defined as any speed exceeding 5 Mach (3,836 miles per hour). The coalition's website states: "If this information is accurate, the Zircon missile will be the fastest in the world, making it nearly impossible to intercept due to its speed." The site also notes another feature of the missile: during flight, it is covered by a plasma cloud that absorbs any frequency rays, rendering it invisible to radars, making it difficult to detect en route to the target. The missile's range is between 500 to 1,000 kilometers.
