Russia says it has deployed hypersonic ‘Dagger’ missiles in Ukraine

The country’s Interfax news agency said it was the first time the weapons system has been deployed in the conflict

Russia says it has used hypersonic Kinzhal ‘Dagger’ missiles to destroy a large weapons depot in Ukraine’s western Ivano-Frankivsk region.

The country’s Interfax news agency said it was the first time the weapons system has been deployed since troops were first sent across the border on February 24.

Defence ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov told a briefing that the underground depot hit on Friday housed Ukrainian missiles and aircraft ammunition, according to a recording of the briefing shared by Russian news agencies.The Reuters news agency said it was unable to independently verify Konashenkov’s statements.

The office of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Russia prides itself on its advanced weaponry, and President Vladimir Putin said in December that Russia was the global leader in hypersonic missiles, whose speed, manoeuvrability and altitude make them difficult to track and intercept.

Hypersonic missiles are able to travel five times faster than the speed of sound, at speeds above Mach 5 – or 3,800 mph. The Kinzhal missiles are part of an array of weapons unveiled in 2018, when Putin hailed them as ‘invincible’.

Konashenkov added on Saturday that Russian forces had also destroyed military radio and reconnaissance centres near the Ukrainian port city of Odessa using the Bastion coastal missile system. Moscow refers to its actions in Ukraine as a ‘special operation’ to weaken its southern neighbour’s military capabilities and root out people it calls dangerous nationalists.

Ukrainian forces have mounted stiff resistance and Western countries have imposed sweeping sanctions on Russia in an effort to force it to withdraw its forces.