Russia strikes Ukraine's Mykolaiv with Kinzhal aeroballistic missile: Aftermath revealed
Illustrative photo: Russia strikes Mykolaiv with Kinzhal ballistic missile on June 3 (wikipedia)
On the morning of Tuesday, April 3, Russia attacked Mykolaiv with a Kinzhal aeroballistic missile. It was probably launched from a MiG-31K fighter jet, according to the head of the Mykolaiv regional military administration, Vitalii Kim.
Background
This morning, a large-scale air alert was announced in Ukraine. Ukrainian Air Force reported the takeoff of a Russian MiG-31K fighter jet, and later a high-speed target in the direction of Kyiv.
Against the backdrop of these statements, at around 10 a.m. Kyiv time, Mykolaiv Mayor Oleksandr Senkevych reported an explosion in the city.
Russia strikes Ukraine with Kinzhal
After the explosion, many monitoring channels claimed that Mykolaiv was attacked by a Russian X-47M2 Kinzhal aeroballistic missile.
Initially, Kim said that no rescue calls were recorded after the attack on the city. Later, he said that Russia had launched Kinzhal.
"Kinzhal, no casualties! I won't give you a photo, but everything is fine," he wrote.
Later, Kim clarified that the strike was near the port infrastructure building, and a localized fire started there on the grass and the building. Rescuers have localized the fire. There were no casualties.
"There are almost no consequences. I think that the Russians will soon post this video describing how they hit something strategic," he said.
Kinzhal danger
Kinzhal (Kh-47M2) is a Russian hypersonic missile that has been in mass production since 2017. It is launched from aircraft, including MiG-31K fighters, and is capable of reaching speeds of up to Mach 10.
According to Russia, the missile can hit both land and sea targets at a distance of up to 2,000 km, and is allegedly difficult to counter with modern air defense systems. Its main advantage is its speed and flight path, which makes it difficult to intercept.
The Armed Forces of Ukraine first shot down a Russian X-47 Kinzhal hypersonic missile on May 4, 2023, in the skies over Kyiv. After that, on the night of May 16, 2023, the Russians attacked Ukraine again with Kinzhals, and the Ukrainian air defense forces shot down all 6 Russian missiles of this type.
The last official report of a Kinzhal attack was in late November 2024. Then, Russia fired a medium-range ballistic missile at Ukraine from the Astrakhan region. The Russians also fired an X-47M2 Kinzhal air-to-ground ballistic missile from a MiG-31K fighter jet from the Tambov region.
Read more about how Russia is attacking Ukraine and what the threat is from MiG and Tu aircraft.
