Russia unleashed 10 to 12 hypersonic weapons in Ukraine, US defense official

According to a senior US defense official, Russia utilized 10 to 12 hypersonic weapons during the Ukraine conflict.

While cautioning that the US does not have a “precise count,” the official stated that Russia has used “probably between 10 and 12 I believe would be about correct.”

Despite the fact that the official did not name the dates or locations of the launches, US authorities witnessed the first known combat deployment of Russia’s air-launched Kinzhal hypersonic missile on a structure in western Ukraine.

The source refused to confirm Ukraine’s assertion that Russia fired Kinzhal missiles toward Odesa over the weekend. The Odesa regional military administration’s spokesperson, Sergey Bratchuk, claimed Russia launched three Kinzhal missiles against a “tourism infrastructure target.”

According to the US official, there is no evidence that Russia deployed hypersonic missiles in these operations.

“Obviously, we’ve seen them use hypersonics in the past and hit buildings, but I don’t have anything to indicate that they were used in Odesa,” said the official.

The Kinzhal missile, which went operational in 2017, claims a peak speed of Mach 12, or around 9,000 miles per hour (more than 14,400 kilometers per hour). It is an airborne variant of Russia’s Iskander short-range ballistic missile.

The Russian use of their hypersonic Kinzhal missile was minimized by US authorities. After the Russians reported the missile launch, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin claimed it was not “some type of game-changer.” Days later, Pentagon press secretary John Kirby stated that it was “difficult to tell what exactly the purpose” for the launch was, given that it was aimed at a stationary storage facility.

“That’s a pretty significant sledgehammer to take out a target like that,” Kirby said at the time.

Russia also claimed it used Iskander missiles in April to strike weapons depots and Ukrainian military equipment.

Ukraine, on the other hand, claims Russia used Iskander missiles launched from Crimea to strike at a settlement in the Odesa district in early April.

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