Russian Kinzhal shot down by US Patriot, which was supposed to be its target

CNN reported the information.

Unnamed American officials, according to the outlet, believe that Russia tried to destroy the American Patriot system during a night attack on Kyiv on May 4. The attack failed, and instead, the Ukrainian military intercepted a Kinzhal hypersonic missile using the same Patriot air defense system.

"The Ukrainian air defenders fired multiple missiles from the Patriot at different angles to intercept the Russian missile, demonstrating how quickly they have become adept at using the powerful system," a US official said.

The outlet notes that Russians picked up on the signals emitted by the Patriot, which allowed them to target the system with a hypersonic missile known as the Kinzhal.

The Patriot missile system has a powerful radar for detecting approaching targets at long range, making it a powerful air defense platform capable of intercepting ballistic missiles and the like. But the radar radiation needed to detect threats at a distance also allows the enemy to detect the battery and determine its location.

Unlike some of the shorter-range air defense systems provided to Ukraine, which are mobile and difficult to detect, Patriot is a stationary system, which poses a risk of detecting its location.

• On May 6, Lieutenant General Mykola Oleshchuk, commander of the Ukrainian Air Force, said that the Ukrainian military had shot down a Russian Kinzhal missile using the Patriot system.

• On May 9, the Pentagon officially confirmed that Ukraine had shot down a Russian Kinzhal missile with the Patriot system.