Ukraine shoots down Russian hypersonic ‘Dagger’ missile that ‘travels 12 times speed of sound’, air force claims

UKRAINE claims to have shot down a hypersonic Russian "Dagger" missile for the first time since the war began.

The Ukrainian Air Force officially confirmed reports today that they used a US-made patriot air defence system to blast the Kinzhal - capable of carrying a nuclear warhead over 2,000km - out the sky.

Mykola Oleshchuk, Commander of the Ukrainian Air Force, said on Telegram: "Yes, we have intercepted the 'unmatched' Kinzhal'".

"It happened during the night attack on May 4 in the sky of Kyiv Region. 

"The Kh-47 missile was fired by a MiG-31K from the territory of Russia."

The Kh-47 is a hypersonic ballistic missile that Russian claims is capable of travelling 12 times the speed of sound - making it nearly impossible to detect and neutralise from a defensive position.

The missile can be loaded with up to 1,000 pounds of explosives or even a nuclear warhead.

Oleshchuk added: "We will definitely report what, where, with what, and when it was shot down! All in its own time."

"When loud explosions are heard in the air, my daughter reassures the neighbors every time with the words: calm down, our air defense system is working!

"Talk to your neighbors, help each other in difficult moments, believe in our Air Force, believe in air defense!"

It marks a historic moment in the war as Ukrainian army leaders were unsure whether the Patriot could take down that kind of powerful missile.

Moscow had long claimed its deadly Kinzhal rockets cannot be stopped by western missile defence systems, with Putin calling it "an ideal weapon".

An Air Force Command spokesperson, Yurii Ihnat, told Ukrainian television this morning: "Yes, we do have weapons against ballistics. No one knew whether the Patriot could operate against ballistics missiles.

"Well yes, it can."

He added: "It's good we have such a weapon. Unfortunately there's not much of it."

Russian media and war sites have dismissed the reports, calling them "nonsense".

Ukraine's Defence Minister, Oleksii Reznikov said last month that the Patriot systems would be essential to defend Ukraine from Russia's missile attacks.

"Building a multi-level air and missile defense system as soon as possible is our priority,” he proclaimed.

“This is to protect peaceful cities, critical infrastructure, and our people in the rear and at the front. Patriot systems create a capability that did not exist before – to defeat ballistic targets."

As two of the Patriot systems Ukraine had long been asking for arrived from the US and Germany in mid-April, Reznikov declared on Twitter: “Do you know how to visualize a dream?

"We must tell about it to the world and give it life!

"Today, our beautiful Ukrainian sky becomes more secure because Patriot air defense systems have arrived in Ukraine.”

Last September, Putin was humiliated when a one of the so-called "unstoppable" hypersonic missiles crashed in Russia before it could reach Ukraine.

Eight people were reportedly wounded when it crash-landed into a field in Stavropol Krai, Russia's North Caucasus region.

However, the "Dagger" missiles have already proved their powers on the battlefield as footage from March 2022 showed the dramatic moment one destroyed a Ukrainian ammunition depot.

It was the first known time the Kinzhal missile has been used in the conflict, but it was earlier "tested" BY Russia in Syria in war conditions.