Russia's Special Operation in Ukraine

Reports of Interception of Russia's Kinzhal Hypersonic Missile 'Wishful Thinking': Source

MOSCOW (Sputnik) – The US Patriot air defense system is not capable of intercepting Russian hypersonic air-to-surface Kinzhal missiles, a high-ranking source in the Russian Defense Ministry said on Thursday.
Sputnik
"Spreading that the Kinzhal was allegedly intercepted is wishful thinking. The fact is that the flight speed of the Kinzhal missile exceeds the maximum combat modes of anti-aircraft missile systems supplied by the West to the Kiev regime, including the Patriot," the source said.
Russian missiles are "intercepted" two to three times more often than the Russia launches them, the source also said, adding that this way the West justifies spending too much ammunition for air defense systems.
"The anti-missile maneuver carried out by the Kinzhal in the final flight segment and the almost vertical approach to the target makes it impossible for anti-aircraft missile systems to intercept this weapon," the source added.
Earlier, the head of the press service of the Pentagon, Patrick Ryder, said at a briefing that Ukraine shot down a Russian hypersonic missile "Kinzhal" with the help of the US Patriot missile defense system.