Ukraine shoots down Russia’s hypersonic missile with Patriot system

The Ukrainian military announced on Saturday that it shot down Russia’s latest hypersonic missile Kinzhal, which flew over Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital, on Thursday. This is the first time that Ukraine was successful in shooting down Kinzhal since Russia’s evasion of the country began in February last year. Meanwhile, the Russian military is accused of using white phosphorous bombs, a type of incendiary bomb fatal to humans, in Bakhmut, Ukraine. White phosphorous is known for its small bombs that cause flames in the sky.

According to The Associated Press, the Ukrainian air force announced on Saturday that it shot Kinzhal on Thursday with the Patriot system. The Ukrainian force received Patriot missiles from the U.S., Germany, and the Netherlands at the end of last month and set up an interception system for hypersonic missiles. Kinzhal, which is a remodeled version of Russia’s short-distance ballistic missile Iskander, can reach a speed of up to Mach 10. The missile disturbs air defense radar, which makes it hard to be shot down.

The Ministry of Defence of Ukraine claimed on Saturday that the Russian force used white phosphorous bombs in Bakhmut to overturn the unfavorable war situation. White phosphorous is a chemical weapon that widely scatters highly flammable white phosphorous shells around the target. When the shells touch human bodies, their flames cannot be put out even with water and cause extreme burns. Ukraine argued that the Russian force often uses white phosphorous bombs as there aren’t clear regulations on them, even though incendiary bombs are strictly prohibited from being used on civilians.


Jeong-Soo Hong hong@donga.com