(Dan Tri) – Kiev announced that Ukraine’s air defense repelled Russia’s missile attack combined with the world’s largest hypersonic weapon.
Russian MiG-31K fighter carrying Kinzhal hypersonic missile (Illustration: Telegram).
According to Kyiv Post, 5 people were killed in a major Russian bombardment in Ukraine on January 2.
Using the US-made Patriot air defense system, Ukraine set a record by shooting down all 10 out of 10 Russian Kinzhal Kh-47M2 hypersonic missiles fired at Ukrainian cities, the General Staff said.
Along with most Kiev residents, reporters from the Kyiv Post newspaper woke up early on the morning of January 2 to the sound of explosions and shaking walls from one of Russia’s largest air raids since then.
`So far, nearly a hundred missiles of various types have been launched and the enemy has planned their flight to cause as much damage as possible. This was a completely premeditated attack.`
Taras Chmut, a marine and head of Come Back Alive – one of Ukraine’s largest charities – noted that no country has yet repelled such an attack.
`Thank you familiar air defense personnel – today they successfully repelled the world’s largest combined missile attack with hypersonic weapons,` Chmut posted on social networks.
General Zaluzhny said that along with 10 Kinzhal hypersonic missiles, Russia fired 62 Kalibr cruise missiles and 35 Shahed-type suicide drones, believed to be produced by Iran, into Ukraine.
Patriot was designed before the emergence of hypersonic missiles like the Kinzhal Kh-47M2, but its deployment in Ukraine has proven that the US-made air defense system is effective in intercepting them.
On the contrary, Russia did not comment on the information that Ukraine shot down all 10/10 Kinzhal missiles announced by Kiev, but the Russian Ministry of Defense reported the results of the raid on January 2 as follows: `The
The targets were missile and drone production and repair of aircraft, weapons and military equipment in Kiev and its suburbs, as well as missile storage facilities, the ministry said.
The Russian Ministry of Defense confirmed that the purpose of the attack was achieved.
Patriot air defense missile system made by the US (Photo: U.S. Army).
President Zelensky said in a video speech on January 2 that Russia has used nearly 300 missiles and more than 200 drones against Ukraine since December 29, 2023.
That day alone, according to AP, Russia used 122 missiles and dozens of drones in an 18-hour bombardment, costing at least $1.273 billion.
Not long after the missile attack, in a phone call with the President of Ukraine, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced that he would continue to steadfastly support Ukraine and its Western allies, helping Ukraine supplement its air defense system.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock wrote on social networks: `With each missile, Putin shows that he wants to destroy Ukraine. Patriots & IRIS-T provided by us save many lives every day.`
Meanwhile, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda and Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics on January 2 called for additional air defense systems for Ukraine, Kyiv Independent reported.
Mr. Nausea wrote on social networks: `Ukrainians have done extraordinary things with the air defense forces that the West provides, but they need more than that… Air defense systems must come to Ukraine now.`
The Latvian President also wrote: `Ukraine’s air defense works well, however, Ukraine must receive more help… The New Year celebration is over and the West must get serious and act now.`
Most recently, on January 3, Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski called on allies to provide long-range missiles to Ukraine to help Kiev target `launch sites and command centers` amid the