🚨🚨🚨 BREAKING: Russia has fired hypersonic Kinzhal ("dagger") missiles in Ukraine.
Officially, the weapons were used to destroy a munitions depot in Ivano-Frankivsk.
In reality, this is a MAJOR deterrent signal to NATO. 🧵
There is no plausible reason that the Kinzhal would need to be deployed against Ukraine, given that its air defenses have already been suppressed.
It is Russia's single most advanced conventional weapon – 13 times as fast as a tomahawk, with 3x the payload.
Russia's use of the Kinzhal in Ukraine is similar to Trump's use of the MOAB (Mother of All Bombs) in Afghanistan in 2017.
In both instances, the point of the weapons deployment was not the immediate combat effect.
The goal is to menace other adversaries by demoing a system.
Putin's decision to use the Kinzhal is more escalatory than Trump's use of the MOAB, because the Kinzhal is nuclear capable.
Due to its extreme range, it is a "carrier killer" – capable of wiping out an entire U.S. Carrier Strike Group.
It is impossible to overstate what an advanced system the Kinzhal represents.
The West acted like China's test of a hypersonic glider was a "Sputnik moment."
But the Kinzhal achieves hypersonic speed + maneuverability throughout its flight, not merely in the terminal phase.
By firing Kinzhals in Ukraine, Putin is sending a major "do not F with us" message to the West.
He is reminding the world that, whatever logistics challenges his military faces, it retains an edge in absolute bleeding-edge nuclear and conventional weaponry.
Today, Putin has also taken one step closer to the nuclear threshold.
He just demoed Russia's premier tactical-nuke delivery system in Ukraine.
The message to NATO could not be clearer: If you intervene in the conflict, I will use this system against you.
Addendum - Don't take my word that the missile was fired.
Here is confirmation from Russia's Defense Ministry: ria.ru/20220319/sklad…
The claim that use of a hypersonic missile was required due to this being a heavily armored bunker does NOT withstand scrutiny.
Russia has dedicated anti-bunker weapons, like the KAB-500L.
Using the Kinzhal was *clearly* about sending a signal to NATO.
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