Russian forces do not launch as many Kinzhals as the Armed Forces of Ukraine (APU) would have shot down. About this RIA Novosti declared Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu commenting on Kyiv’s statement regarding six Kinzhal supersonic missiles shot down on the night of May 16.
“We did not throw so many “daggers” that they would have shot down each time with their statements. Moreover, the number of these “Ukrainian interceptions”, and who really controls the American complexes, remains a big question – three times more than we let in,” he said.
Shoigu added that the Ukrainian side “is always wrong” with the type of missiles. “That’s why they don’t fall,” concluded the head of the defense department.
Kiev Military Civil Administration informed in his telegram channel that on the night of May 15-16 the maximum number of missiles was fired at the capital of Ukraine in the shortest possible time. The Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine claimed that a total of 18 missiles were fired, six of which were hypersonic Kinzhal missiles. According to him, all the missiles would have been shot down by the air defense.
Earlier, the Russian Defense Ministry said that on the night of May 15-16, “a blow was struck at the deployment points of units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, places of storage of ammunition, weapons and equipment delivered from Western countries.” The department noted that “the objective of the strike was achieved, all designated objects were hit” – including the American Patriot air defense system, which was hit by the “Dagger”.
Presidential Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov, on the afternoon of May 16, answering a question about the use of Russian missiles “during a strike on Kiev”, said “Indeed, Putin has said so many times, and our technical specialists have repeatedly confirmed that this Kinzhal missile has unique tactical and technical characteristics. As for the use of these missiles in strikes against Kyiv, I can not say anything here – this is the prerogative of the Ministry of Defense.
On the evening of May 16, CNN, citing a US official, confirmed damage to Patriot air defenses in a night bombardment of Kyiv. According to the interlocutor of the TV channel, the American authorities are still establishing the damage to the air defense system – the future fate of the complex will depend on this: either it will have to be completely reduced, or it will be enough to repair with Ukrainian forces.
On May 8, CNN, citing a source, reported that the United States had confirmed statements by representatives of the Ukrainian Armed Forces that it had successfully intercepted the Russian hypersonic missile Kinzhal using the anti-aircraft missile system American Patriot (SAM). On May 11, Russian agencies, citing a high-ranking source in the Ministry of Defense, wrote that the Patriot could not shoot down the Dagger because it was not capable of intercepting targets at such speed. The source called Kyiv’s statements regarding the interception of a Russian missile “stuffing” and “an attempt at wishful thinking”.
Russian President Vladimir Putin first unveiled the “dagger” during his State of the Union address in 2018. He said the rocket is capable of reaching speeds of up to Mach 10 ( approximately 12,000 km/h) and that its range is greater than 2,000 km. Putin noted that the “dagger” can “guarantee to overcome all existing and, I think, promising air defense and missile defense systems.” In August 2022, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said the Kinzhal was being used to strike “high-value targets” in Ukraine.
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