Ukraine claims it has shot down an "unstoppable" Russian missile that is nearly impossible to detect.
Ukrainian Air Force Commander Lt-Gen Mykola Oleshchuk said the hypersonic Russian Kinzhal (Kh-47), known as the "Dagger", was downed over the Kyiv region.
The terrifying weapon, measuring 24ft and weighing a ton, is capable of carrying a nuclear warhead over 2,000km and can travel 12 times the speed of sound, Vladimir Putin's military chiefs claimed.
READ MORE: Russian state TV compared ‘staged’ Putin assassination attempt to 9/11 terror attacks
Russia previously bragged that the weapon was too quick for the Western defence systems supplied to Ukraine.
However, Ukraine said a US-made Patriot system was used to stop the strike on May 4.
"I congratulate the Ukrainian people on a historic event," Oleshchuk said. "Yes, we have shot down the 'unique' Kinzhal.
"We will definitely report what, where, with what, and when it was shot down! All in its own time.
"When loud explosions are heard in the air, my daughter reassures the neighbours every time with the words: calm down, our air defence system is working!
"Talk to your neighbours, help each other in difficult moments, believe in our Air Force, believe in air defence!"
Yurii Ihnat, an Air Force Command spokesman, said: “We do have weapons against ballistics.
“No-one knew whether the Patriot could operate against [hypersonic] ballistic missiles. Well yes, it can.
"It's good that we have such weapons. Unfortunately not enough."
Specialist Defense Express earlier reported suspicions that one of Putin's Kh-47s had finally been downed after analysing photos of the missile fragments.
The website reported: “One of the photos shows the nose cone, which is as similar as possible to the one used in the Kh-47 Kinzhal missile with a complex shape of sharp diameter transitions.
"The wreckage shows that it sustained penetration damage, which allows us to estimate the thickness of the material needed to withstand the high temperature during acceleration to hypersonic speeds.
“It also indicates that the intercept was quite effective, with the warhead destroyed in midair.
“This explains the powerful explosion heard by Kyiv residents on the night of 4 May.”
Russian sites have described the Ukrainian claims as "nonsense", instead saying the image is of a "water pipe".
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