"Historic event for Ukrainians": Ukrainian Air Force confirms downing of a Russian Kinzhal
On May 4, Ukrainian air defence forces repelled another Russian attack by shooting down an X-47 missile fired by a MiG-31K from Russian territory. This information was confirmed by the Commander of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Lieutenant General Mykola Oleshchuk.
He wrote on his Telegram channel that this is a historic event for Ukrainians. "I congratulate the Ukrainian people on a historic event! Yes, we have shot down the Kinzhal, which "has no analogues". According to him, the Patriot air defence system helped to destroy the Russian missile.
In his statement, Oleshchuk explained the long silence about the incident by the fact that it is impossible to disclose information that could be used by the enemy in advance.
Recall that on May 5, Defense Express, an information and consulting company that covers national security issues, reported that it had a photo of the wreckage of a downed missile with traces of damage. It was this missile that the Russians fired at Kyiv on the night of May 4.
"The Armed Forces of Ukraine successfully intercepted a Russian X-47 Kinzhal hypersonic missile for the first time at around 02:40 on May 4 in the sky over Kyiv," the report said.
Defence Express reported that the wreckage of the Kinzhal without a warhead fell at a stadium in Kyiv. However, on the same day, Air Force spokesman Yuriy Ihnat denied this information.
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