Russia Shows Off Power Of Zircon Hypersonic Cruise Missile In Test Launch

Russia claims to have successfully fired a new hypersonic cruise missile capable of hitting targets from over 1000km (625 miles) away.

The Russian defence ministry released a video on Saturday which showed the missile being fired from a ship into the sky.

Officials claim the Zircon cruise missile, capable of travelling nine times the speed of sound, was fired from the Barents Sea into a target in the White Sea, close to the border with Finland.

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In earlier tests, Russia also claimed to have fired the Zircon from a submerged submarine.

TV Zvezda - a channel owned by the Russian defence ministry - said of the footage: “The Russian Zircon hypersonic missile's stealth features have been disclosed…

“The speed of the Zircon hypersonic missile is so high that it prevents the opponent's air defence system from detecting its impact in time. 

“In fact, its launch will be known only after the target has been hit.”

The announcement comes in the wake of Finland and Sweden’s joint application to NATO in response to the war in Ukraine, and could be interpreted as a ‘warning shot’ towards the countries, which Russia promised to take ‘retaliatory action’ against should the application continue.

Although Russia's military has suffered heavy losses of men and equipment during its three-month invasion of Ukraine, losing an estimated 30,000 troops since the ‘special operation began, it nevertheless continues to stage high-profile weapons tests to remind the world of its prowess in missile technology.

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Last month it test-launched a new nuclear-capable intercontinental missile, the Sarmat, capable of carrying 10 or more warheads and striking the United States.

The news comes as Putin’s forces continue to focus their fighting on the Donbas region, allegedly capturing ‘several villages’ in the region as they continue with their attempts to encircle Severodonetsk and Lysychansk - two of the last areas under Ukrainian control in Luhansk, which is one of two regions that makes up the Donbas area.

However, according to reports from the Ministry of Defence, Ukrainian forces continue to maintain their position in the area, holding on to 'multiple defended sectors' as Russia deploys 50-year-old Soviet-era T-62 tanks.

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These, the intelligence update said, 'will almost certainly be particularly vulnerable' to anti-tank weapons and their use shows Russia’s lack of 'modern, combat-ready equipment'.

In a recent interview with Bloomberg, Prime Minister Boris Johnson stressed the 'vital' need to provide Ukraine with fresh military as Russian forces continue to slowly 'chew through ground' in the east.