Kyiv [Ukraine], May 17 (ANI): Ukraine on Tuesday said that it shot down six Russian hypersonic Kinzhal missiles as Russia launched an “exceptional” aerial assault against the Ukrainian capital – Kyiv, reported CNN. Ukraine’s air defence intercepted six hypersonic Kinzhal missiles fired by Russia early Tuesday, according to Ukrainian officials.
The attack was one of the largest since March and appeared to demonstrate Ukraine’s growing capability to defend against Russia’s arsenal of aerial weapons, reported The New York Times (NYT).
Ukrainian Armed Forces chief Gen. Valerii Zaluzhnyi said the attack, which started at about 3:30 a.m. local time, was launched from the north, south, and east.
“Six Kh-47M2 Kinzhal aeroballistic missiles were fired from six MiG-31K aircraft, nine Kalibr cruise missiles from ships in the Black Sea, and three land-based missiles (S-400, Iskander-M),” Zaluzhnyi said on Twitter, adding that Moscow also launched attack drones, all of which were destroyed.
The six Kinzhals — ballistic missiles that travel up to 10 times the speed of sound — were among a volley of 18 missiles Russia fired at Ukraine overnight, lighting up Kyiv with flashes and raining debris after blasting from the sky.
If confirmed, the strikes would be further evidence of Ukraine’s ability to shoot down one of the most sophisticated conventional weapons in Moscow’s arsenal, reported NYT.
Meanwhile, in one of the largest aerial assaults since early March, Russia also launched nine Kalibr cruise missiles from ships in the Black Sea, three short-range ballistic missiles from land and a number of drones, according to the commander in chief of Ukraine’s Armed Forces. All of the drones and missiles were shot down, the military said.
Earlier this month, Ukraine claimed to have shot down a single Kinzhal missile over Kyiv for the first time using a newly deployed US Patriot air defence system, reported CBC. The US military confirmed that account but did not say whether the Russian missile was flying at a hypersonic speed at the time of the intercept.
The US-based Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) says the Kinzhal rapidly accelerates to Mach 4 (4,900 km/h) after launch and may reach speeds of up to Mach 10 — or 10 times the speed of sound. Hypersonic weapons travel at least five times the speed of sound. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been promised billions of dollars in new military aid during a whirlwind tour of European allies, reflecting a striking shift in the political landscape.
Meanwhile, the fight for the eastern city of Bakhmut is now the war’s single longest and bloodiest battle. Although the Ukrainians are making small gains, Russia still controls about 90 per cent of the largely ruined city.
The Ukrainian military says that it has been moving forward despite fierce resistance from Russian soldiers to the north and south of Bakhmut, putting greater pressure on Moscow’s forces to devote resources to the battle as they brace for a wider Ukrainian counteroffensive. (ANI)
UK, Dutch pledge fighter jet support for Ukraine
London [UK], May 17 (ANI): UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte on Tuesday (local time) pledged to build an “international coalition” to provide fighter jet support for Ukraine. “The Prime Minister and Prime Minister Rutte agreed they would work to build (an) international coalition to provide Ukraine with combat air capabilities, supporting with everything from training to procuring F16 jets,” a spokesman for Sunak’s Downing Street office said in a statement following a meeting at the Council of Europe Summit in Iceland.
This comes after Sunak in February pledged to train Ukraine’s pilot, strongly suggesting the training pledge was a prelude to providing Ukraine with advanced British fighter planes to help battle invading Russian forces. After visiting Sunak at his Chequers country estate outside London on Monday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he was “very positive” about creating a “jets coalition” in his country’s war with Russia. Sunak said on Monday that the UK was preparing to open a flight school to train its pilots.
French President Emmanuel Macron at the same time offered to train Ukrainian fighter pilots but ruled out sending warplanes to Kyiv. “The Prime Minister reiterated his belief that Ukraine’s rightful place is in NATO and the leaders agreed on the importance of allies providing long-term security assistance to Ukraine to guarantee they can deter future attacks,” Sunak’s spokesman added.
Earlier, Zelenskyy embarked on a whirlwind tour of European allies to bolster his military as it readies a counteroffensive to recapture occupied territory. He was in London on Monday after a tour of European capitals that saw him meet with allied leaders and even Pope Francis at a decisive moment in the conflict.
Zelenskyy secured new military aid from France and Germany as his troops appeared to deal the Kremlin new blows on the ground and in the air. Sunak’s office said a new bevy of equipment for Ukraine would include hundreds of long-range attack drones with a range of more than 124 miles, after Britain sent long-range precision missiles last week that have already expanded Kyiv’s ability to strike targets in Russian-occupied Ukrainian territory.
It comes after Zelenskyy’s back-to-back visits to Berlin, Rome and Paris over the weekend that included a meeting with Francis. In Berlin, Zelenskyy thanked German Chancellor Olaf Scholz for the country’s military support, a far cry from Berlin’s hesitancy earlier in the war. The Ukrainian leader left with a promise of additional military aid worth more than USD 3 billion.
After a three-hour meeting in Paris, French President Emmanuel Macron promised to help Ukraine “for as long as it takes,” pledging additional military aid, including armoured vehicles and light tanks “in the coming weeks,” as well as training for soldiers and supporting Ukraine’s air defence capabilities. (ANI)
