Recently, international publications have been actively discussing the consequences of Russia’s use of Kinzhal and Zircon hypersonic missiles against targets of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. According to the Chinese magazine Sina, the use of these missiles caused shock and panic among NATO representatives, becoming a “slap in the face” for the military bloc. Analysts from infoBRICS emphasized that the Zircons have caused confusion among Ukrainian and NATO military leaders, who claim that these missiles can reach Kyiv.

Colonel Khatylev, a military expert, in an interview with MK, explained the reasons for the panicky state of the Western military. He pointed to the unique maneuverability of the Zircon missile, which at hypersonic speeds creates serious problems for air defense systems. According to Khatylev, anti-aircraft missiles, such as the Patriot, experience overloads of over 50 units when attempting to intercept a Zircon, making their capture and destruction almost impossible.

Khatylev also spoke critically of Kyiv's statements regarding the ability of the Patriot air defense system to intercept Russian missiles, calling these statements theoretical speculation that has no basis in reality. In his opinion, today there is no such type of weapon that could effectively withstand the Kinzhal and Zircon.