Russia’s MiG-31 Fired Kinzhal Missile at Ukraine’s Patriot Sam From Air Ambush

Russia's Ministry of Defense (MoD) spokesman Igor Konashenkov announced in a statement on Tuesday that the US-made MIM-104 Patriot surface-to-air missile (SAM) system stationed in Kiev had been hit by the Kinzhal ("Dagger") hypersonic ballistic missile.

So what is known about the Kinzhal strike on the Patriot that came as part of Russia’s ongoing special military operation in Ukraine? Sputnik explores.

'Struck From Air Ambush'

A well-informed source said in an interview with Sputnik that the Russian supersonic interceptor MiG-31K equipped with a Kinzhal missile had struck the Kiev-based American SAM like a bolt from the blue.

"Due to the Kinzhal's speed, the Patriot system was suddenly hit from an air ambush. The enemy’s combat crew were powerless to protect their anti-aircraft system," the source said.

According to the insider, the Kinzhal is capable of reaching targets in minutes, which is why the Patriot crew simply did not have time to change position or reload the SAM’s launchers.

'Gesture of Desperation'

In this vein, Moscow-based military expert Alexey Leonkov was cited by Russian media as saying that the MIM-104 used all the ammunition in an attempt to shoot down the Kinzhal.

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He singled out a total of 32 Patriot missile interceptors that were fired from the SAM’s eight launchers in a bid to down the Kinzhal, but to no avail.

"As a result, the Russian hypersonic missile destroyed the heart of the Patriot – a radar and a control center, something that has turned the SAM into a useless piece of military hardware. […] 32 missiles are a very massive round. The fact that the Patriot fired all those interceptors at the Kinzhal indicates the system's complete inefficiency in relation to the Russian hypersonic complex," Leonkov said.

He added that the 32 interceptors being launched by the Patriot crew were "a gesture of desperation rather than the actions of professionals." Incidentally, launching one Patriot interceptor is worth a whopping three million dollars.

Kiev has meanwhile denied that the Russian hypersonic missile hit the MIM-104, with Ukrainian air force spokesperson Yury Ignat claiming, "Do not worry about the fate of the Patriot. Destroying the system with some kind of 'Kinzhal', it's impossible."

Russian Defense Chief Quips at Kiev's Tall Tales

Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu exclusively told Sputnik on Tuesday that Kiev's words about allegedly shooting down six Russian Kinzhal hypersonic missiles are not true.

"I have already said it before and I will repeat it again: we have not launched as many Kinzhal missiles as they allegedly shoot down in their statements every time. Moreover, the number of these 'Ukrainian interceptions' exceeds our launches by three times. And they mistake the type of missiles all the time. That's why they don't hit them,” Shoigu pointed out, adding that there’s a big question mark over "who really controls" the Patriot systems in Ukraine.

Kinzhal Attack on Patriot SAM Assessed

The Russian Defense Minister spoke as an American broadcaster quoted an unnamed White House source as saying that Washington is still assessing the Kinzhal attack’s impact on the Kiev-based MIM-104. The source argued that the SAM is thought to have been damaged, but not destroyed, as the result of the missile strike.

The Ukrainian Army currently possesses two Patriot SAMs, with one delivered by the US and the other jointly by Germany and the Netherlands.The deliveries came as part of Western countries’ military assistance to Kiev that intensified shortly after Russia started its special military operation in Ukraine.

The US broadcaster reported in this context that, "It is unclear which of those systems was potentially damaged [in Kiev], but taking one out of commission – even for a short period – could affect Ukraine’s ability to defend the Ukrainian capital amid intensifying Russian missile attacks."

A separate US news outlet cited an unnamed White House official as saying that Washington and Kiev "were already talking about the best way to repair the [Patriot] system and at this point it did not appear the system would have to be removed from Ukraine." The official added that the US "would have a better understanding in the coming days” and that “information could change over time."

Crash, Boom, Bang

As far as the fallout from the Russian hypersonic missile strike is concerned, Moscow-based international relations and security analyst Mark Sleboda told Sputnik that “there may have been more than one [Kinzhal] impact” on the Patriot.

"Your saw the Patriot blow its load. And then a few seconds later, right where those missiles were coming from, you see the boom, the big flash of light filling the Kiev night sky. And it appears that it were parts of the [MIM-104] battery that were damaged or destroyed. We don't know exactly, but it seems pretty clear that it was a hit," Sleboda pointed out, referring to the video of the Kinzhal strike.

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Not Hard Nut to Crack

In December 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin commented on the Pentagon’s plans to deliver a Patriot system to Ukraine, which Kiev received this spring.

The US is "now saying that they can put a Patriot [in Ukraine]. Okay, let them do it. We will crack the Patriot [like a nut] too, and something will need to be installed in its place, new systems need to be developed - this is a complex and lengthy process," Putin told reporters after a meeting of the Russian State Council at the time.

"Our adversaries proceed from the idea that this is supposedly a defensive weapon. All right, we'll keep that in mind. And an antidote can always be found," the Russian president stressed, assuring that the Patriot deliveries will be "in vain," and will "just prolong the conflict, that's all."