Ukraine claims Russia has used a new hypersonic missile for the first time

Ukraine said it had evidence that Russia had used a new hypersonic cruise missile in an attack for the first time last week, a development that if confirmed could pose a new challenge to the country's already strained air defenses.

A preliminary analysis of missile fragments by the government-run Kiev Scientific Research Institute of Forensic Expertise concluded that a 3M22 Zircon missile was used in a February 7 attack on cities across Ukraine. Markings typical of the rocket were found on the debris, the institute said.

“We see elements that are characteristic of the 3M22 Zircon rocket. Parts and fragments of the engine and steering mechanisms have specific markings,” Oleksandr Ruvin, the head of the institute, said in a social media message on Monday afternoon with a video of the rocket's wreckage.

Russian authorities have not commented on the use of a Zircon missile and the evidence presented by the institute could not be independently verified. U.S. officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said they were assessing the claim but could not confirm its use in the battle on 7 February.

Sidharth Kaushal, a researcher and expert on naval power at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), expressed caution and said that none of the warships from which the missile had previously been tested were in the Black Sea at the time of the attack operated. , meaning the debris may belong to a different type of missile.

The use of a Zircon would be a new step in the Russian air campaign against Ukrainian military and civilian infrastructure.

The debris that Ukraine claims came from a zircon was found in the Kiev region, a spokesman for the forensic institute said, without disclosing the precise location. The Ukrainian military said it shot down several cruise missiles during the attack, but made no mention of intercepting a Zircon.

Ukraine's air defenses have proven relatively effective over the past year, often intercepting up to three-quarters of missiles fired into its territory. But in recent months, Russia has launched increasingly complex barrages of various missiles and drones in an attempt to saturate and penetrate these defenses. This was the case again in last week's attack, which killed five people and involved 64 Russian cruise missiles, ballistic missiles and drones – as well as a Zircon missile, Ukrainian officials said.

If Russia's earlier description of the missile's capabilities proves accurate, experts say, it could evade powerful missile defense systems such as the U.S.-designed Patriot system, which Ukraine has used to down other Russian hypersonic and cruise missiles. The Russian authorities have said that the Zircon can reach eight times the speed of sound, has a range of 620 miles and can carry a 660-pound warhead.

The Missile Defense Alliancea United States-based nonprofit, said that if that information is correct, the Zircon missile would be one of the fastest in the world, “making it nearly impossible to defend against due to its speed alone.”

The missile “has no analogues in any country in the world,” President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia said early last year.

Mr Kaushal noted that the missile was first tested in 2015 and declared operational in late 2022 – an unusually fast development cycle. He said it was tested on two warships, the Admiral Gorshkov-class frigate and the Yasen-class submarine, before being used to arm the frigate in January 2023.

But he noted that neither of these two warships is “actually in the Black Sea at this time” and that “it would be unusual for the missile to be fired for the first time in combat from a ship from which it has never been tested. for.”

Ukrainian authorities did not mention the launch pad for the missile.

The fact that Russia did not report last week that it had used a Zircon missile also raises questions. When it first used a Kinzhal missile in March 2022, the Russian Defense Ministry said communicated about it quickly.

How the Zircon would change calculations on the Ukrainian battlefield remains to be seen.

Russia has claimed in the past that its Kinzhal air-launched hypersonic missiles, some of the most advanced weapons in its arsenal, are unstoppable. But after Ukraine received the Patriot system, the country managed to shoot down several Kinzhals before they could reach their targets.

Mr Kaushal also said the Zircon's combat effectiveness remains unknown, with questions raised over its claimed speed and accuracy.

Russia's ability to produce and operate Zircon missiles, “especially as the program will compete for financial and other resources with priorities such as the reconstruction of Russia's ground forces,” also remains in doubt, Kaushal said in a speech. research paper published last year.

Julian Barnes And Erik Schmitt reporting contributed.