Ukraine says it downed several Russian hypersonic missiles in 'exceptional' attack

Ukraine said on Tuesday it had shot down six Russian hypersonic Kinzhal missiles in a single night, thwarting a super-weapon Moscow had previously touted as all but unstoppable.

It was the first time Ukraine had claimed to have struck an entire volley of multiple hypersonic missiles, and if confirmed, it would be a demonstration of the effectiveness of newly deployed Western air defences.

Air raid sirens blared across nearly all of Ukraine early on Tuesday and were heard over Kyiv and its region for more than three hours.

"The enemy's mission is to sow panic and create chaos. However, in the northern operational zone [including Kyiv], everything is under complete control," said Gen. Serhiy Naev, commander of the joint forces of the armed forces.

The six Kinzhals ballistic missiles thattravel at up to 10 times the speed of sound were among a volley of 18 missiles Russia fired at Ukraine overnight, lighting up Kyiv with flashes and raining debris after they were blasted from the sky.

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Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu on Tuesday dismissed Ukraine's claim that it shot down six Kinzhals, saying Moscow had not launched that many, RIA news agency said.

RIA quoted Shoigu as saying Kyiv claimed to have shot down three times as many missiles as Russia had actually fired. His remarks, as cited by RIA, did not appear to refer specifically to the latest strike.

It was not clear which Western weapon Ukraine used to defeat the Kinzhals. The Pentagon had no immediate comment.

Not widely deployed

Russia's Defence Ministry also said it had destroyed a U.S.-built Patriot surface-to-air missile defence system with a Kinzhal missile, the Zvezda military news outlet reported.

But the commander-in-chief of Ukraine's armed forces, Valeriy Zaluzhnyi said all of the Kinzhals had been successfully intercepted.

Zaluzhnyi said his forces had intercepted the six Kinzhals launched from aircraft, as well as nine Kalibr cruise missiles from ships in the Black Sea and three Iskanders fired from land.

Earlier this month, Ukraine claimed to have shot down a single Kinzhal missile over Kyiv for the first time using a newly deployed U.S. Patriot system.

The U.S. military confirmed that account but did not say whether the Russian missile was flying at hypersonic speed at the time of the intercept.

The U.S.-based Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) says the Kinzhal rapidly accelerates to Mach 4 (4,900 km/h) after launch and may reach speeds of up to Mach 10 or 10 times the speed of sound. Hypersonic weapons travel at least five times the speed of sound.

"It is worth noting that Russia's designation of the Kinzhal as a 'hypersonic' missile is somewhat misleading, as nearly all ballistic missiles reach hypersonic speeds (i.e. above Mach 5) at some point during their flight," CSIS wrote on its website, describing the missile.

The Kinzhal missile the name means "dagger" can carry conventional or nuclear warheads up to 2,000 kilometres. Russia used the weapon in warfare for the first time in Ukraine last year and has only acknowledged firing the missiles on a few occasions.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has frequently touted the Kinzhal as proof of world-beating Russian military hardware, capable of taking on NATO.

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City authorities in the Ukrainian capital said three people were wounded by falling debris.

"It was exceptional in its density the maximum number of attack missiles in the shortest period of time," said Serhiy Popko, head of Kyiv's city military administration, on the social media site Telegram.

Zvezda quoted the Russian ministry as saying the attacks had been aimed at Ukrainian fighting units and ammunition storage sites.

With Ukrainian forces preparing to go on the offensive for the first time in six months, Russia is now launching long-range airstrikes at the highest frequency of the war.

It has launched eight drone and missile volleys so far this month. Kyiv says it has been shooting most down.

The past week has seen Ukrainian forces make their biggest gains on the battlefield since last November.

Ukrainian troops have reclaimed about 20 square kilometresof land around Bakhmut in recent days but Russian forces had advanced slightly in the embattled eastern city itself, Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Maliar said on Tuesday.

Moscow has acknowledged that some of its troops have retreated but denies that its battle lines are crumbling.

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Zelenskyy secures more military hardware for Ukraine

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has wrapped a whirlwind European tour where he secured more military aid ahead of an expected spring counteroffensive. Britain has promised to help create a Western jets coalition, but has ruled out sending its own.

European leaders meet in Iceland

Kyiv's counteroffensive is expected to take advantage of hundreds of modern tanks and armoured vehicles sent by the West, and mark the next major phase of the war after a Russian winter offensive that failed to take significant new territory.

European leaders, meanwhile, were meeting in Iceland on Tuesday for a two-day Council of Europe summit meant to show their support for Ukraine.

Ukrainian PresidentVolodymyrZelenskyy, who joined viavideo link,took the opportunity to highlight Kyiv's claims to have shot down Russian hypersonic missiles using newly deployed Western aid defenses. It showed the country, if united, was capable of anything, he told the summit.

"A year ago, we were not able to shoot down most of the terrorists' missiles, especially ballistic ones," Zelenskyy said. "And I am asking one thing now. If we are able to do this, is there anything we can't do?"