Ukrainian Air Force shows programmer behind first interception of a Kinzhal missile

Ukraine's Air Force has released a video featuring the operator of a Patriot air defence system who shot down a Russian Kinzhal hypersonic missile over Kyiv on 4 May 2023 - the first successful interception of such a missile. Source: Ukrainian Air Force Details: The operator's surname is not disclosed; only his first name - Dmytro - is mentioned.

He appears in the video with half of his face covered.

Quote from Dmytro: "When the war began, I joined the military. I never thought that I, a simple programmer, would master the Patriot system and shoot down a Kinzhal missile." More details: Dmytro explained that he and his colleagues did not initially know that it was a Kinzhal missile targeting Kyiv.

Quote: "At that moment, we could see on the screen that it was a ballistic missile, but we initially thought it was just an Iskander. Only after we found the fragments did we realise it was a Kinzhal. Everyone was overjoyed, we congratulated each other.

Russia had claimed that the Kinzhal was impossible to intercept, but it turned out that anything can be shot down... This was the first time a Kinzhal hypersonic ballistic missile had been intercepted."

Background:

• During the night of 4 May 2023, a Kh-47 Kinzhal hypersonic missile was successfully intercepted over Kyiv for the first time. The news was first reported by Defense Express on 5 May and confirmed by Mykola Oleshchuk, Commander of Ukraine's Air Force, on 6 May.
• It was later revealed that the Kinzhal was destroyed by anti-aircraft gunners from the 96th Brigade, who had undergone less than three months of training.

  On 16 May, they reinforced their success by shooting down six more such missiles.

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