For the first time, Russia has unleashed its "invincible" hypersonic weapons in Ukraine, as UK intelligence chiefs warned of a new strategy that will kill many more civilians.
According to the defence ministry, the Kremlin used its newest Kinzhal ('Dagger') missiles on Friday to destroy a weapons storage complex in the country's west.
"A big underground storage housing missiles and aviation ammunition in the village of Deliatyn in the Ivano-Frankivsk region was destroyed by the Kinzhal aviation missile system with hypersonic aeroballistic missiles," it claimed on Saturday.
The unconfirmed incident occurred in a territory that shares a 50-kilometer border with Romania, a Nato member.
In 2016, it was thought that Russian hypersonic missiles were employed for the first time in Syria.
Russia has been compelled to adjust its operational approach, according to the latest British defence intelligence assessment, and is now adopting an attrition strategy.
"This is likely to involve the employment of indiscriminate weapons, resulting in greater civilian casualties, destruction of Ukrainian infrastructure, and exacerbation of the humanitarian crisis," the Ministry of Defense said on Saturday.
According to sources from Ukraine's government, Russia used nearly all of its Kaliber cruise missiles and Iskander ballistic missiles in the first 20 days of the war.
"The invader continues to use indiscriminate weaponry to launch missile and bomb strikes on infrastructure and housing neighbourhoods of significant cities," Ukrainian sources warned.
According to Lieutenant General Jim Hockenhull, Britain's Chief of Defence Intelligence, the Kremlin has so far failed to achieve its initial goals.
"The extent and ferocity of Ukrainian opposition has startled it, and it has been beset by issues of its own creating," he said on Friday.
Hypersonic missiles travel at speeds more than Mach 5, or at least five times the speed of sound, or 6173 kilometres per hour.
They are capable of piercing tough areas due to their tremendous speed. They can also bypass air defence systems and are highly maneuverable, unlike classic ballistic missiles.
Hypersonic missiles have a 'flatter' trajectory and travel closer to the surface of the earth. As a result of the earth's curvature, they are detectable to ground-based radars considerably later.
Defenders have extremely little time to deploy countermeasures due to the late notification of an attack and the speed of the incoming missile.
At the Grom 2022 Strategic Deterrence Force exercise in February, a Russian MiG-31K fighter plane carrying a Kinzhal hypersonic cruise missile was photographed.
Five days after a devastating missile strike on the Yavoriv military training complex near the Polish border, Russia issued another warning that its forces will target convoys moving weapons into Ukraine.
"Any container coming into Ukrainian territory that we believe is transporting weapons is fair game," Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in an interview with state-run RT on Friday.
This week, Western countries committed to sending additional humanitarian and lethal supplies to Ukraine.
Joe Biden announced an aid package of $800 million, which includes anti-tank and air defence missiles, ammunition, and mortars.
Switchblade drones were also featured, which could hover above the battlefield before hitting pre-programmed targets including tanks, air defence units, and artillery pieces.
In a warning to Russia not to allow the battle to cross over into Nato territory, Britain said it would deploy Sky Sabre, its latest medium-range air defence system, to Poland.
Sky Sabre is "the best air defence system," according to James Heappey, the British minister for the armed services, who spoke exclusively to the Telegraph.
It can fire up to eight missiles with a range of 120 kilometres in a single launch, making it perfect for employment in Poland. Longer-range versions, such as the US Patriot system, would be capable of straying into Russian territory, allowing Moscow to claim that it was under attack.
The Defence Secretary, Ben Wallace, also stated that Britain would provide Ukraine with Starstreak short-range air defence missiles, which are the fastest system in their class of weapons at Mach 3.
Russia announced in October 2020 that the Mach 8 Tsirkon hypersonic anti-ship cruise missile and the Avangard hypersonic glide vehicle, both capable of carrying nuclear bombs at 20 times the speed of sound, had been successfully tested.
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