On the evening of July 5, 2025, Russia launched a Kinzhal hypersonic aeroballistic missile at the territory of Ukraine, the monitoring group Mykolaiv Vanyok reported on its Telegram channel. According to the channel, the missile followed a vector through the Chernihiv and Zhytomyr regions in the direction of the city of Starokostiantyniv in the Khmelnytsky region, where a large air base of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) is located. Information about the launch of the Kinzhal appeared against the backdrop of a large-scale air raid alarm declared in several regions of Ukraine, including Kyiv, Chernihiv, Zhytomyr and the Khmelnytsky region. Details about the results of the strike and possible destruction are absent at the time of publication, but monitoring resources report explosions in the Starokostiantyniv area, which may indicate an attempt to hit a strategically important facility.

Ukrainian information resources report that there were probably two launches, as two explosions were reported.

The Kinzhal (Kh-47M2) hypersonic missile, launched from MiG-31K fighters or Tu-22M3 bombers, is capable of reaching speeds of up to Mach 10–12 (around 12 km/h) and hitting targets at a distance of up to 000 km. According to Russian sources such as Rossiyskaya Gazeta, the Kinzhal is highly accurate (less than 2000 meter of deviation) and is able to overcome air defense systems due to its maneuverability and hypersonic speed.