This is not the first time Russia has used «Zircon» missile to strike Ukraine — Katkov

Within the extensively fragmented wreckage of one of the missiles employed by the enemy to target Kyiv, an element bearing a ZM22 marking was discovered. This recurrence is not the first instance of the adversary deploying a Zircon missile against Ukraine, as the recovered fragments closely resemble those of an unidentified missile previously launched at Kyiv in early January of this year.

Oleh Katkov, the editor-in-chief of Defense Express, reported this on Hromadske Radio. He noted that among the heavily fragmented remains of a missile fired at Kyiv on January 7, an element marked 3M 22 was found. However, confirming it as a Zircon missile remains uncertain due to the lack of visual references to identify this particular missile.

«The Zircon launch differs, as it is initially launched from a ship or submarine in a case, then separates and launches. The quality of the Russian Ministry of Defence’s test video is so poor that only a few pixels are visible, providing no basis for comparison. If verified, this would not be the first instance of the enemy using Zircon in Ukraine. The debris is indistinguishable from that of an unidentified missile used in early January», – stated the editor-in-chief of Defense Express.

He emphasized that the Russian Federation labels Zircon as «hypersonic,» although it is more likely a solid-fuel missile, akin to the X-47 Kinzhal, which attains high speeds, purportedly up to Mach 9. The launch range is often cited as 600 km, though occasionally 1000 km is claimed.

As a reminder, the Air Defence Forces successfully neutralized 44 air targets during the enemy’s nocturnal and morning assault on February 7, employing 64 means of air attack.