Kiev has been the target of Russian airstrikes eight times this month alone, especially early Tuesday morning. Putin’s forces fired 18 rockets and eight kamikaze drones at the capital, according to the Ukrainian military. It was a complex attack from several directions, “with a maximum number of missiles in a very short time”.
But from a Russian point of view, the night attack was probably a flop. Three people were injured by debris, but the attack caused no major damage. With their German- and US-supplied Patriot and Iris-T anti-aircraft systems, the Ukrainians apparently succeeded in intercepting all missiles over Kiev – including all six Kinzhal (“dagger”) supersonic missiles, which the Kremlin likes to call an invincible missile. “miracle weapon” celebrates.
Ukrainian Air Force says Russia launched 6 Kinzhal missiles overnight from 6 MiG-31K aircraft, 9 Kalibr cruise missiles from Black Sea, 3 S-400 or Iskander-M missiles and 6 Shahed/Geran-2 drones. were successfully intercepted. https://t.co/Cu9pZqA2MM pic.twitter.com/k58PEKr9bt
— Rob Lee (@RALee85) May 16, 2023
In early May, Ukraine first reported shooting down such an air-launched missile – until then, this was considered nearly impossible, even with modern Western intercept systems. “If you were allowed to think if it was a coincidence when you first intercepted a Kinzhal, the myth of the hypersonic missile has now become history,” writes Ukrainian journalist Denis Trubetskoy on Twitter: “Thank you, USA and Germany for Patriot and IRIS -T. Thanks to the Ukrainian air defense.”
Trubetskoy, who lives in Kiev, describes his impressions of the night as follows: “It was extremely strange to see the dogfight between Patriot and Kinzhal missiles so close at 3am. It was like Star Wars. But in the end It was a very bad night for Russia.” Trubetskoy believes the Ukrainian military’s statements that they intercepted all the projectiles are credible: “It was super loud, it was scary, but it never sounded like a direct hit.”
Due to its barely calculable trajectory and its extremely high speed of more than 6,000 kilometers per hour, the Kinschal is also feared by NATO armies. It is fired by a high-altitude fighter plane and only then starts its own engine. The missile can carry nearly 500 kilograms of explosives or a nuclear warhead and can hit targets up to 2,000 kilometers away.
Since the beginning of the war, Russia is said to have repeatedly destroyed targets in Ukraine with the Kinzhal. However, only a few dozen missiles are said to remain in the Kremlin’s arsenal.
It is still unclear with which weapon system the Ukrainians intercepted the Kinshah missiles. In mid-April, Germany and the United States each handed over a Patriot battery to Ukraine to repel Russian airstrikes. This was preceded by weeks of training for the surgical teams. Germany had already delivered several Iris-T air defense systems to Ukraine last year. According to Kiev, they have already proven themselves several times.
Meanwhile, the Kremlin claimed to have destroyed one of Ukraine’s Patriot batteries with a Kinzhal missile during the night attack on Kiev. Such information from Moscow has often proved incorrect in the past. The Russian Ministry of Defense has so far not provided any evidence.
Soource :Watson

I am Amelia James, a passionate journalist with a deep-rooted interest in current affairs. I have more than five years of experience in the media industry, working both as an author and editor for 24 Instant News. My main focus lies in international news, particularly regional conflicts and political issues around the world.