Fresh drone footage has revealed the moment Russia launched a hypersonic missile strike on Ukraine yesterday.
A clip taken from a military drone shows an army base in the Ivano-Frankivsk region being struck by a Kinzhal hypersonic missile and the aftermath as people fled through the snow.
Smoke can be seen billowing through the air during the recording after a bright flash lights the screen at the moment the missile hit the target.
Russian military defence confirmed it had used hypersonic weapons for the first time in combat during the strike.
The use of the missiles is the latest indication that Vladimir Putin is becoming increasingly desperate as his military struggles to carry out his illegal invasion of Ukraine.
The strike is believed to have been carried out using Kinzhal - or ‘Dagger’ - missiles, which have been claimed to have a range of around 2,000 km, according to Mirror Online.
Their speed and ability to fly low makes them “invisible” to most anti-missile defence systems, and they are capable of carrying nuclear warheads, experts have said.
Russia said it had also destroyed Ukrainian military radio and reconnaissance centres near the port city of Odessa using a coastal missile system, Interfax news agency reported.
It is unknown how many casualties there were in the strikes.
“The Kinzhal aviation missile system with hypersonic aero-ballistic missiles destroyed a large underground ammunition depot in the Ivano-Frankivsk region,” said Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov.
Putin said in December that Russia was the global leader in hypersonic missiles, whose speed, manoeuvrability and altitude make them difficult to track and intercept.
The Kinzhal missiles are part of an array of weapons unveiled in 2018.
It is the first known time the new Kinzhal has been used in the conflict but it was earlier “tested” in Syria.
Putin previously said that the country began to create hypersonic weapons “in response to the US deployment of a strategic missile defence system”.
This morning the Ukrainian prosector general’s office said that 112 children have been killed so far in the war in Ukraine.
It also said on Telegram that 140 children had been wounded.
The UK’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) says Russia “has been forced” to change its operational approach in Ukraine “and is now pursuing a strategy of attrition”.
The Kremilin is desperate to hide the high number of Russian casualties in the unprovoked invasion, which has turned the country into a pariah state shunned by the rest of the world.
“This is likely to involve the indiscriminate use of firepower resulting in increased civilian casualties, destruction of Ukrainian infrastructure, and intensify the humanitarian crisis,” the ministry said in its latest intelligence update.
“Putin has reinforced his control over Russian domestic media.
“The Kremlin is attempting to control the narrative, detract from operational problems and obscure high Russian casualty numbers from the Russian people.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said it’s “time to talk” with Putin and warned the war would lead to losses that would take “generations to recover” if he doesn’t.
Russia has so far failed to make the military breakthroughs that was widely expected when it launched its Ukraine invasion on February 24.
Zelensky has said Ukraine had always offered solutions for peace and wanted meaningful and honest negotiations on peace and security, without delay.
Zelensky gave a video address in the early hours of Saturday saying: “I want everyone to hear me now, especially in Moscow. The time has come for a meeting, it is time to talk.
“The time has come to restore territorial integrity and justice for Ukraine. Otherwise, Russia’s losses will be such that it will take you several generations to recover.”
Don't miss the latest news from around Scotland and beyond - Sign up to our daily newsletter here.
