Photos show sappers neutralizing the warhead of one of Russia's overhyped Kinzhal missiles after it was shot down

A Ukrainian sapper recovers the warhead of a Kinzhal missile. State Emergency Service of Ukraine

• Ukraine said it downed all 10 of Russia’s overhyped Kinzhal missiles fired during a big attack last week. 
• Kyiv’s emergency services said a few days later that it “neutralized” a Kinzhal warhead, releasing photos of the work.
• Russia touted the Kinzhal as unstoppable, but Ukraine says it has successfully intercepted dozens of them. 

Ukrainian sappers found and neutralized a warhead from one of Russia’s Kinzhal missiles, Kyiv announced, referring to the overhyped weapons it said its defenders shot down during a massive aerial attack last week.

The State Emergency Service of Ukraine said in various social media posts on Friday that sappers working in a Kyiv neighborhood had “neutralized” a Kinzhal warhead. The agency published photos of the specialists, whose job it is to clear various types of explosive devices, moving the missile part.

A Kinzhal missile warhead. The State Emergency Service of Ukraine

Ukraine said on January 2 it shot down all 10 Kinzhals Russia had launched as part of a widespread aerial attack, which saw a mix of cruise and ballistic missiles and one-way attack drones kill at least five people and injure at least another 130.

Without Ukraine’s sophisticated, Western-provided air-defense systems, which shot down dozens of threats, the casualty toll would likely be significantly higher.

A Ukrainian sapper stands next to a Kinzhal warhead. The State Emergency Service of Ukraine

“I thank every warrior of our Air Force, every fighter of our mobile firing groups, every anti-aircraft gunner and all those across the globe already helping Ukraine with weapons to protect the skies,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in the aftermath of the attack. “More air defense systems, more missiles for air defense is what directly saves lives.”

The Kh-47M2 Kinzhal is an advanced air-launched ballistic missile that has been touted by Russian President Vladimir Putin and other Russian military leaders as being unstoppable. The Kinzhal can carry a conventional 1,000-pound explosive payload, but it is also nuclear capable.

A Ukrainian sapper recovers the warhead of a Kinzhal missile. State Emergency Service of Ukraine

Russia has claimed that the Kinzhal is a hypersonic weapon, which is misleading.

While it can reach hypersonic speeds, those greater than five times the speed of sound, it is not part of a new class of weapons that exclusively includes hypersonic glide vehicles or scramjet hypersonic cruise missiles. The Kinzhal is also believed to lack the ability for sustained hypersonic flight, as well as sufficient maneuverability.

The Kinzhal is understood to basically be an air-launched 9K720 Iskander ballistic missile.

In 2022, top military officials in Moscow bragged about the missile’s use in Ukraine, asserting that it was impossible to detect and intercept.

Everything changed, however, with the much-anticipated April 2023 arrival of the US military’s MIM-104 Patriot, which is a surface-to-air missile system that’s considered to be one of the world’s most advanced and most capable air-defense assets.

Ukraine has relied heavily on the Patriot, alongside other Western systems, to fend off Russia’s relentless air attacks.

The Patriot system downed its first Kinzhal in May of last year. With last week’s reported interceptions, that figure is now up to 25, according to a Ukrainian air force spokesperson.

“Sixty-three Kinzhal missiles have been fired since the full-scale invasion started, and 25 of them have been destroyed. Last spring we obtained the Patriot [surface-to-air missile] systems and the ability to destroy air-launched ballistic missiles,” Yurii Ihnat said, according to a Sunday report by state news agency Ukrinform.

Experts say that downing Kinzhal missiles provides Ukraine, the US, and its NATO allies with valuable intelligence on the Russian weapons, better preparing operators for future engagements or conflicts with Moscow’s forces.