On May 9, the US Department of Defense announced that Ukraine had shot down a Russian Kinzhal hypersonic missile using the American Patriot SAM system. Now, a high-ranking source in the Russian Ministry of Defense has commented on this data, telling TASS that this is impossible.
«The claim that the Kinzhal was intercepted is an attempt to pass off wishful thinking as reality», the Ministry of Defense source said. He noted that the Kinzhal's flight speed exceeds the Patriot SAM system's maximum combat modes, but that's not the only issue.
«In addition, the anti-missile maneuver performed by the Kinzhal on the final leg of its flight and its almost vertical approach to the target preclude the interception of this weapon by anti-aircraft missile systems», the source added.