All you need to know about Kinzhal hypersonic missiles that Russia 'used in Ukraine for the first time'
Russia used hypersonic missiles in Ukraine
The Russia-Ukraine conflict continues to escalate with reports of mass destruction. In the latest development, Russia's defence ministry said that they have used its newest Kinzhal hypersonic missiles for the first time in Ukraine on Friday (March 17) to destroy a weapons storage site in the country's west.
Kinzhal hypersonic missiles
Important to note that Russia has never before admitted using high-precision weapons in combat. State news agency RIA Novosti said it was the first use of the Kinzhal hypersonic weapons during the conflict in pro-Western Ukraine.
The Russian defence ministry said Saturday, "The Kinzhal aviation missile system with hypersonic aeroballistic missiles destroyed a large underground warehouse containing missiles and aviation ammunition" in the village of Deliatyn in the Ivano-Frankivsk region."
Putin calls it 'ideal weapon'
Russian President Vladimir Putin has termed the Kinzhal (Dagger) missile "an ideal weapon" that flies at 10 times the speed of sound and can overcome air-defence systems.
The Kinzhal missile was one of an array of new weapons Putin unveiled in his state-of-the-nation address in 2018.
Specifications of Kinzhal
The Kh-47M2 Kinzhal is a 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 manoeuvres at every stage of its flight.
Kinzhal can carry both conventional and nuclear warheads and can be launched from Tu-22M3 bombers or MiG-31K interceptors.
Russia says the target was underground arms depot
Hypersonic missiles travel faster than the speed of sound and can manoeuvre mid-flight, making them hard to track and intercept.
Russia's defence ministry has said it used the technology to strike an underground arms depot in the village of Deliatyn, around 100 kilometres from Ukraine's border with Romania.
(Representative image)
'Time to talk'
Amid escalating situation, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday (March 18) called for urgent talks with Russia, saying in a Facebook video they are the "only chance for Russia to minimise the damage done with their own mistakes".
He has been pushing for direct talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Moscow claims that several rounds of negotiations have made progress on one of its key demands -- that Ukraine becomes a neutral state. Kyiv, which is demanding international security guarantees, denies its position has changed.
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