Ukraine can shoot down Russian "Zircon" missiles, which fly on a ballistic trajectory, but it does not always have the appropriate means for this. This was stated on the air of the telethon by the head of the communications department of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Yuri Ignat, UNIAN reports.
He recalls that Ukraine has a shortage of anti-aircraft missiles for Patriot systems, which are capable of intercepting ballistic missiles.
According to him, the "Zircon" missiles are designed as anti-ship missiles and, despite Vladimir Putin's boasting, do not reach hypersonic speed, but they have a high speed - up to Mach 10.
"And thus, rising to an altitude of over 40 km at a high speed, since the air there is thin, the missile is directed towards its target and attacks like a ballistic missile", Ignat says.
He adds that this is precisely the complexity, since ballistic missiles are shot down by Patriot, and missiles for this system are not enough.
"The statistics speak for themselves - if there are missiles for Patriot, then the missile can be intercepted in one region or another", Ignat points out. He noted that Russia is currently using more such missiles.
According to him, Russia previously carried out strikes from Crimea, and now from the north, since the coastal complex "Bastion" can be mobile and used in different regions.
Ignat added that the missile, although anti-ship, can be multifunctional and attack ground targets.