Ukraine claims to have intercepted six Kinzhal missiles.

Ukraine claims to have shot down six Russian Kinzhal hypersonic missiles that attacked Kyiv on the day a group of African leaders were visiting the capital.

The Ukrainian Emergency Services (SES) said that Russia carried out an airstrike on Kyiv on June 16, destroying three homes and damaging 13 buildings. No casualties were reported in the capital Kyiv, but the attack injured six people in other parts of Kyiv province.

The Ukrainian Air Force said it shot down six Kinzhal hypersonic missiles, six cruise missiles, and two drones used by Russia. SES said debris from the Russian missiles fell to the ground after being intercepted by air defense systems.

People take shelter in a subway station as Kyiv is hit by airstrikes on June 16. Photo: AFP

The attack occurred as African leaders arrived in Kyiv to discuss a peaceful solution to the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Air raid sirens sounded throughout Kyiv as soon as the African delegation arrived in the city.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba called it the biggest Russian missile attack on Kyiv in weeks. "Russian missiles send a message to Africa that they want war, not peace," Kuleba tweeted.

Russia has not responded to Ukraine's accusations but has repeatedly stated that it only attacked military targets, not civilian ones.

In May, the presidents of six African countries – Zambia, Senegal, the Republic of Congo, Uganda, Egypt, and South Africa – formed a delegation to seek a peaceful solution for Ukraine. The president of Comoros, the country currently holding the chairmanship of the African Union (AU), subsequently announced his participation in the delegation. After arriving in Ukraine, the delegation is scheduled to visit Russia on June 17th.

A MiG-31K fighter jet carrying Kinzhal missiles flies over Red Square in Moscow in May 2018. Photo: Kremlin .

In May, Ukraine also claimed to have shot down six Kinzhal hypersonic missiles used by Russia in its attack on Kyiv. However, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said that the number of Kinzhal missiles launched at Kyiv was far less than the six that Ukraine claimed.

Minister Shoigu also stated that Ukrainian forces "frequently mistake" the types of missiles deployed by Russia. "That's why they fail to intercept their targets," he said on May 16.

Hypersonic missiles are weapons with a minimum speed of five times the speed of sound, equivalent to over 6,200 km/h. Thanks to their complex flight paths and extremely high speeds, hypersonic weapons have a higher destructive capability and are very difficult to intercept with current defense systems. The Kinzhal hypersonic missile is one of six superweapons announced by Russian President Putin in 2018.

Ngoc Anh (According to CNN/AFP )

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