Russia uses hypersonic missiles in Ukraine for the first time

Russian military has used Kinzhal hypersonic missiles, for the first time since the start of the war on February 24, to destroy an arms depot near the city of Ivano-Frankivsk in western Ukraine.

Russian Defence Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov during a briefing said that the strike with the air-launched missile system took place on Friday, reported Russian Times.

Kinzhal missiles are carried by MiG-31K supersonic interceptor aircraft, which NATO calls 'Foxhound'.

Kinzhal, means 'dagger' in English and these ammunitions are said to be able to penetrate any existing air defences by travelling at a whopping speed of up to Mach 10 and constantly manoeuvring during their flight.

It targeted 'a large underground depot of missiles and aerial munitions of the Ukrainian forces' in the village of Deliatyn, he added.

The hardware is one of several hypersonic systems prepared for the country's military in recent years, together with the Avangard glider, which is fitted on silo-based ICBMs, and Zircon (Tsirkon) missiles, developed for the navy, reported Russian Times.

Russian forces launched military operations in Ukraine on February 24, three days after Moscow recognised Ukraine's breakaway regions, Donetsk and Luhansk as independent republics followed by the announcement of a 'special military operation' to 'demilitarise' and 'denazify' Ukraine.