The expert noted that one of the missile fragments struck on March 25, showing that the Patriot system shot down the Russian "Zircon" missile.
Ukrainian defence forces can shoot down Russian Zircon missiles
The head of the military research laboratory of the Kyiv Scientific Research Institute of Forensic Examinations (KSRIFE), Andriy Kulchytskyi, stated this.
This missile does not fulfil its combat mission. Everything that is charged, all the characteristics of "super" and "hyper" are words, and in fact, there is still a long way to go before the missile can be used in combat. It doesn't fly where it needs to go, and it doesn't do the job for which it is adapted.
Andriy Kulchytskyi
KSRIFE chief
The expert noted that the Ukrainian air defence system can shoot them down. According to Kulchytsky, one of the missile fragments struck on March 25 clearly shows that the Patriot system shot it down.
Kulchytskyi added that the warhead of "Zircon" contains no more than 40 kilograms of explosives.
We are still conducting the analysis, we will determine what substance is there. But the combat part is small: in comparison, the combat part of such missiles as X-101 and X-22 does not compare, Kulchytskyi said.
Russia struck Ukraine with Zircon missiles
On the morning of March 25, Russian troops hit Kyiv with missiles.
Air defence forces destroyed two Russian ballistic missiles over Kyiv. Experts note that these were Zircon missiles, but there is no confirmation from the AFU General Staff.
For the first time, Russia could use this missile on February 7 during a missile attack on Ukraine. Then the missile was launched from Crimea and hit the Kyiv area.
According to aviation expert Anatoly Khrapchynskyi, as of today, our country needs the THAAD system capable of shooting down such ballistic targets at an altitude of more than 100 km above the ground.
