The Russian attack on Kiev tested Patriot defense system ahead of Ukrainian offensive. One outcome of this skirmish is the arrest of a scientist behind the development of Kinzhal missiles.

During the night of 16 May, the Russian military launched 16 ballistic missiles including six hypersonic Kh-47M2 Kinzhals (Dagger) and two S-400 Triumph, which are capable of Mach 6 speeds, on Kiev.

While many rushed to brand the attack as a new act of terror against civilians in the Ukrainian capital, the true target was the US surface-to-air missile system Patriot, which secures an air defense shield there. 

The spokesman for the Russian Defense Ministry, Igor Konashenkov, said the attack was successful and destroyed five Patriot batteries. The Ukrainian side said all missiles were shot down with Patriots and the defenses remained intact. Later, CNN reported that one Patriot system was damaged by the debris and shockwave of the last arriving Kinzhal, with Ukrainian officials admitting the fact later on. 

Given that the Ukrainian army is preparing to break up the Russian frontline and start the liberation of the eastern and southern regions, the night attack makes sense from the military point of view.

Days earlier, the Ukrainian forces hit and destroyed two fighter jets (Su-34 and Su-35) and two military helicopters in the Bryansk region, western Russia, with NASAMS systems, and before that the nerves of dictator Vladimir Putin got stretched with a drone exploding above the Senate building dome inside the Kremlin.

The Ukrainians have thus demonstrated that they are capable of fighting the Russian aircraft without employing their own combat aviation, disabling at the same time the Russian defenses from air support, and of striking targets deep inside Russia.

A successful strike on the Ukrainian command center – which Putin and strategists believe is located in Kiev – would demoralize the advancing troops and slow down the decision-making process.

If his generals shared the same feedback as for the general public, we are probably going to see more Russian missiles heading towards Ukrainian air-defenses, a move to clear the path for the air force.

But if Putin has received an accurate report of the 16 May missile attack, he must be truly disappointed – American Patriots turn to be effective against his hypersonic Kinzhals and he won’t be able to send air bombers against Ukrainians in offensive.

The arrest of a third scientist behind the development of Kinzhal missiles on 17 May is a sign that the Kremlin leader has learned the real facts. Valery Zvyagintsev, a member of the Novosibirsk Institute of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics of the Russian Academy of Sciences, was charged with treason.

During the night of 16 May a new myth of Russian propaganda got busted: the one that describes – in the words of the Kremlin leader – Russia’s newest ballistic missiles, which travel at hypersonic speeds and cannot be stopped, as “invincible.”