{"id":251108,"date":"2022-03-19T16:13:33","date_gmt":"2022-03-19T16:13:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/?p=251108"},"modified":"2022-03-21T08:11:12","modified_gmt":"2022-03-21T08:11:12","slug":"russia-fires-unstoppable-hypersonic-missiles-at-ukraine-for-first-time-to-destroy-weapons-depot","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/?p=251108","title":{"rendered":"Russia fires \u2018unstoppable\u2019 hypersonic missiles at Ukraine for first time \u2018to destroy weapons depot\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sam Hancock \u2013 The Independent March 19, 2022<\/strong><\/h1>\n

Russia has claimed it used a hypersonic missile<\/a> to strike a large weapons depot in Ukraine<\/a>\u2019s western Ivano-Frankivsk region.<\/p>\n

It marks the first time a Kinzhal \u2013 or \u2018Dagger\u2019 \u2013 missile has been deployed since Vladimir Putin<\/a> sent his troops into Ukraine, according to Russia\u2019s Interfax news agency.<\/p>\n

Igor Konashenkov, a spokesman for Russia\u2019s defence ministry, said the \u201cunstoppable\u201d weapon was deployed on Friday and destroyed an underground warehouse storing ammunition for Ukrainian troops in the western Ivano-Frankivsk region.<\/p>\n

Kinzhal missiles are thought to have a range of around 1,250 miles.<\/p>\n

In December, Putin said his country was the global leader in hypersonic missiles, whose speed, manoeuvrability and altitude make them difficult to track and intercept \u2013 or \u201cinvincible\u201d \u2013 to use the Russian president\u2019s own words<\/p>\n

Mr Konashenkov said Russia had also destroyed military radio and reconnaissance centres near the Ukrainian port city of Odessa using the Bastion coastal missile system, Interfax news agency reported.<\/p>\n

It is not yet known if the strikes caused any casualties, and The Independent<\/em> has been unable to verify the claims made by the Russian spokesman.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Kinzhal aviation missile system, with hypersonic aero-ballistic missiles, destroyed a large underground ammunition depot in the Ivano-Frankivsk region,\u201d he told a briefing<\/p>\n

Hypersonic weapons are largely considered the next generation of arms due to the fact they can reach more than five times the speed of sound and the challenge they pose to anti-missile defence systems.<\/p>\n

Putin previously said that his country only began to create them \u201cin response to the US deployment of a strategic missile defence system\u201d.<\/p>\n

Kinzhal missiles were part of an array of weapons announced by Russia in 2018. At the time of the unveiling, Putin said of the West: \u201cThey need to take account of a new reality and understand … [this] is not a bluff.\u201d<\/p>\n

The use of the weapons in Ukraine, however, is the latest sign that Moscow\u2019s war is not going to plan as forces become increasingly desperate amid reports of military struggles and a fierce Ukrainian resistance.<\/p>\n

Russia expanded its missile strikes to Lviv in the west of the country on Friday, launching an early morning attack on the city, according to the city\u2019s mayor.<\/p>\n

Heading into the weekend, there was also reported heavy shelling in the encircled cities of Mariupol, Kharkiv, Chernihiv and Sumy.<\/p>\n

However, British intelligence continued to suggest Putin\u2019s troops made \u201cminimal progress\u201d this week after being \u201cstalled on all fronts\u201d for a matter of days.<\/p>\n

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Russia has been forced to change its operational approach and is now pursuing a strategy of attrition.<\/p>\n

— Ministry of Defence \ud83c\uddec\ud83c\udde7 (@DefenceHQ) March 19, 2022<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n