WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The United States cannot independently confirm or refute a Russian claim over the weekend that it fired hypersonic missiles at a Ukrainian target, but the use of such a weapon makes little sense from a military perspective, a senior U.S. defense official said on Monday.
“It could be that they’re trying to send a message to the West,” the official said on condition of anonymity. From a military perspective, the official added, “there’s just not a lot of practicality about it.”
Russia said on Saturday it had used hypersonic Kinzhal (Dagger) missiles to destroy a large weapons depot in Ukraine’s western Ivano-Frankivsk region.
Russia’s Interfax news agency said it was the first time Russia had deployed the Kinzhal system since it sent its troops into Ukraine on Feb. 24.
Moscow prides itself on its advanced weaponry, and President Vladimir Putin said in December that Russia was the global leader in hypersonic missiles, whose speed, manoeuvrability and altitude make them difficult to track and intercept.
(Reporting by Phillip Stewart; Editing by Doina Chiacu and Mark Heinrich)
