Ukraine downs Russian hypersonic missile with US Patriot system
Al JazeeraNov 26, 2022
Ukraine Says it Downed Russian Hypersonic Missile With US Patriot System
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Image copyright: AP Photos [via AP News]
The Facts
Mykola Oleshchuk, head of Ukraine's air force, claimed on Saturday that Ukraine had successfully downed a Russian hypersonic missile over Kyiv using newly acquired American Patriot missile defense systems.
Russia has launched its hypersonic missile — known as the Kinzhal — sparingly throughout the conflict with Ukraine, often at high-priority targets. It was last used in early March when Russia blamed Ukraine's security services for a terror attack in the Russian region of Bryansk.
The Spin
Pro-establishment narrative
Using US weaponry, Ukraine's air force successfully detected, tracked, and destroyed Russia's so-called hypersonic missile. Russia claims these Kinzhal missiles are "unstoppable." Well, it turns out they're not.
Pro-Russia narrative
Even if Ukraine's claims to have shot down Russia's Kinzhal prove to be accurate, the fact remains that Russia has much more advanced weaponry in its arsenal, including the Iskander-M and S-300 missiles. That has been repeatedly demonstrated throughout this conflict.
