When asked what the point of launching this missile was, he noted that the illegitimate Russian President Vladimir Putin regularly demonstrates weapons that supposedly have no analogues.
“Hazel”, “Petrel”, “Daggers” and so on. Including Zircon missiles,” the speaker noted.
He recalled that the enemy had previously used this missile to attack Ukraine.
“A missile that Russia has already launched several times during 2024. And, if I’m not mistaken, even in 2023 there were several launches of such missiles. Well, why exactly are they launched at such huge distances? The missile itself is anti-ship. Perhaps they are testing it like this in combat conditions. They want to achieve some kind of their own result. We will not detail what they achieve there or not. But there are such facts,” said Ignat.
The Air Force Command of the Ukrainian Armed Forces emphasized that information on this missile attack on the Sumy region will still be clarified.
Context
On November 14, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky confirmed that in the morning the Russians attacked the Sumy region with a Zircon missile. The Nikolaevsky Vanek Telegram channel noted that the missile was launched from Cape Chauda in the temporarily occupied Crimea. Acting mayor of Sumy Artem Kobzar said that an enemy missile hit the road surface on the outskirts of the city. According to preliminary data, there were no injuries or deaths. The head of the Sumy city military administration, Sergei Krivosheenko, added that the explosion damaged the asphalt surface, resulting in a fire hydrant bursting and water leaking.
In Russia, “Zircon” is called “the world's first hypersonic cruise missile, capable of long-term aerodynamic flight with maneuvering in dense layers of the atmosphere using its own engine thrust throughout the entire route.” The media also called this missile a superweapon or “wunderwaffe” of the illegitimate president of the aggressor country, Vladimir Putin.
However, the Air Force of the Ukrainian Armed Forces noted that the Patriot air defense system (and, according to some sources, even its older versions) is capable of shooting down Zircon missiles.
“This missile does not fulfill its combat mission. Everything that is loaded, all the characteristics of “super”, “hyper” – all these are words, but in fact, there is still a long way to go before the missiles are used in combat. It flies in the wrong place, does not do the job for which it is designed,” said Andrey Kulchitsky, head of the military research laboratory at the Kyiv Forensic Research Institute, about the Zircon.
