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Ukraine’s air defenses shot down six of the most advanced conventional weapons in Russia’s arsenal, hypersonic Kinzhal missiles, according to Ukrainian and American officials, during a missile and drone attack aimed at Kyiv, the capital, on Tuesday.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said at least one Kinzhal hit the American-made Patriot system, the most advanced US land-based air defense system, which Washington sent to Ukraine after an urgent request to help counter Russian missile and drone attacks. attack.
A statement from the Ukrainian Air Force did not specify whether the Patriot system was, in fact, involved in shooting down Russian missiles in one of the largest airstrikes by Moscow since early March. But two U.S. officials confirmed that the Patriot had been damaged, not destroyed, in Tuesday’s overnight attack, an assessment first reported by CNN. And one of the Americans confirmed that Ukraine has downed six Kinzhal missiles.
After an assessment of the damage to the Patriot to determine whether parts of the system need to be replaced or can be repaired, the initial conclusion is that the system, installed at the airfield, is still operational against all threats – including hypersonic missiles. – the American official said.
“At 3 o’clock in the morning, our people woke up to explosions,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a video speech to the Council of Europe, a human rights organization. “Eighteen Russian missiles of various types are in our sky, mainly, ballistic, which the terrorist state calls.”
“We were told that the missile would cause guaranteed death because it should not have been shot,” he said, adding: “But all lives were protected. All missiles were shot, including ballistics – 100 percent. This is a historical result.
It is unclear whether the Patriots can intercept hypersonic missiles, which experts say may be too fast to be detected by radar in time for traditional air defense systems to respond.
Hypersonic weapons can travel at least five times the speed of sound – more than a mile per second – and maneuver to evade defenses. US officials have said Kinzhal meets the definition, but some Western analysts have expressed doubts about its maneuverability.
Ukraine has so far not had the ability to intercept the Kinzhals and has forced its allies to use the Patriot system. Only two such systems are believed to be in Ukraine, and the weapons are considered vital to an anticipated Ukrainian counterattack to drive Russian forces out of their territory. Several dozen Ukrainian soldiers this year took a crash course using Patriot, training on US soil.
A single Patriot interceptor missile costs about $4 million, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Each launcher costs about $10 million. Some analysts consider the system far from foolproof, and there is some debate about the correct firing rate.
Russia has targeted the Patriots before. On May 4, the Ukrainian Air Force said it had intercepted Kinzhal – using the targeted Patriot system – for the first time since the war broke out in February 2022. Three senior US officials confirmed the shooting and said they had received information. about the attack from the Ukrainian military. One official added that US military analysts had verified the claim using technical methods.
Tuesday’s attack in Kyiv was the eighth large-scale attack in the city this month. The attack was remarkable for the number of missiles launched in such a short period of time, said Serhiy Popko, head of Kyiv’s military administration. Ukrainian officials said the attack was aimed at undermining air defenses.
The sky over Kyiv darkened around 3 a.m. Tuesday with thunderous explosions as air defenses collided with incoming missiles, raining debris across the city. At least three people were injured, according to the city’s mayor, Vitali Klitschko. Cars caught fire, buildings were damaged, and debris fell on the grounds of the Kyiv Zoo, Mr. Klitschko said. No animals or workers were injured, he said.
Russia also launched nine Kalibr cruise missiles from ships in the Black Sea, three land-based short-range ballistic missiles and several drones, according to the commander of Ukraine’s Armed Forces.
The airstrikes in Kyiv came amid reports that the head of Ukraine’s Supreme Court, Vsevolod Knyazev, had been detained after he was accused of a corruption scheme in which he accepted $2.7 million in bribes. Prosecutors confirmed the arrests during a news briefing and said others were also being investigated.
The chief judge and lawyer were caught “red-handed while receiving illegal benefits,” the Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office in Ukraine said on the Telegram messaging app.
“This is a dark day in the history of the judiciary,” the top court judge said in a statement. “We have to deserve and withstand such a blow.”
The arrest comes amid continued pressure on Mr Zelensky from Western allies to tackle corruption ahead of any talks to join the European Union, and amid growing skepticism in the United States about billions in foreign aid flowing to Ukraine.
Earlier this year, Mr Zelensky doubled down on high enforcement to maintain confidence in the country’s war-torn government, with authorities raiding officials’ homes and offices, and firing several officials.
The latest bombshell in Russia comes as Mr. Zelensky sent a video of himself on the train back to Kyiv after a tour of four countries in Western Europe when he got billions of dollars in pledges for military aid.
The UK is promising air defense missiles and drones in addition to the recently delivered long-range cruise missiles. Germany said it would provide a nearly $3 billion package including air defense systems, drones, Leopard tanks and armored fighting vehicles.
Later, after Ukraine shot down a Russian missile, Mr Zelensky said in a nightly speech: “We used to hear that the Patriots were not real. And now, here we are, the Patriots.
This reporting was contributed by John Ismay, Helen Cooper, Daniel Victor, Anushka Patil and Justin Jones.
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