Russia successfully test-launches ballistic missile

(Patria) - Russia's Defence Ministry said on Friday it had successfully test-launched
an intercontinental ballistic missile at the Kapustin Yar missile complex in the southern Astrakhan region, Reuters reported.

Russia has used five of its new Zircon hypersonic missiles to attack Kyiv since the beginning of the year, the city's military administration said earlier this month.

The attacks are among more than 180 Russian missile and drone strikes launched on the Ukrainian capital in the first three months of this year, the administration said on Telegram. The sea-launched Zircon missiles have a range of 1,000 km and travel at nine times the speed of sound, Russia says. Military analysts say the missile's hypersonic speed could mean significantly reduced reaction time for air defence and the ability to strike large and fortified targets.

President Vladimir Putin said in his annual state-of-the-nation address on 29 February that Russia had used Zircon missiles in combat, without specifying which locations were targeted. He described the Zircon as part of a new generation of unparalleled weapons systems.

The Kyiv administration said the city has also been hit by six other types of missiles since the beginning of 2024, including the Kh-101, an air-launched cruise missile, of which 113 have been fired so far.

Russia has also fired eleven Kinzhal missiles, another hypersonic weapon that travels several times the speed of sound, at the Ukrainian capital this year, it said.