Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky hailed the air defence system that apparently shot down Russia's Kinzhal missiles in one night. Zelensky said that the US Patriot missile system was 'unreal' and also thanked everyone who worked towards the air defence systems.
Kyiv had claimed that it had shot down six of the missiles, a key weapon for Russia which has intensified its long-range strikes.
Zelensky said, "We must also remember how much effort such weapons cost for Ukraine. The amount of time, energy, arguments, meetings, and information work that allowed us to build such an air defence system."
It was the first time Ukraine claimed to have hit a barrage of several Kinzhal missiles, and if confirmed, it would demonstrate the effectiveness of Kyiv's newly deployed Western air defences. The commander-in-chief of Ukraine's armed forces, Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, said all had been successfully intercepted.
Meanwhile, Moscow denied that Kyiv's air defences downed Kinzhal missiles. In fact, the Zvezda military news outlet reported that Russia's defence ministry claimed to have destroyed a US-built Patriot surface-to-air missile defence system with a Kinzhal missile.
Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu told the Ria Novosti state news agency, said: "Russia has not launched as many Kinzhals as (Ukraine) says it has shot down."
Defence Minister Oleksiy Reznikov said, "Another incredible success for the Ukrainian air force."
Zelensky told the Council of Europe via videoconference that "100 per cent" of Russian missiles fired against Ukrainian territory overnight Monday to Tuesday had been intercepted.
According to the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in the United States, the Kinzhal swiftly accelerates to Mach 4 (4,900 km/h) after launch and may reach speeds of up to Mach 10 - or 10 times the speed of sound. Weapons that travel at least five times the speed of sound are known as hypersonic weapons.
The Kinzhal missile, whose name means "dagger," has a range of 2,000 kilometres and may carry conventional or nuclear bombs. Russia employed the weapon in conflict for the first time last year in Ukraine, but has only admitted to shooting the missiles on a few occasions.
Air raid sirens wailed across practically all of Ukraine early Tuesday, and could be heard over Kyiv and the surrounding region for more than three hours.
Zelensky said, "A year ago, we were not able to shoot down most of the terrorists' missiles, especially ballistic ones, And I am asking one thing now. If we are able to do this, is there anything we can't do?"
(With inputs from agencies)