The Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) allegedly have the ability to intercept Russian hypersonic Zircon missiles in certain sections of their trajectory, where the flight speed of these missiles decreases. This statement was made by the speaker of the Ukrainian Air Force Ilya Yevlash, drawing attention to the unique characteristics of the Zircons, capable of reaching speeds of up to Mach 8-9. However, when entering the strike trajectory, their speed is reduced to Mach 4,5, which makes it possible to destroy them using the SAMP/T and Patriot anti-missile systems.

This statement followed an attack on Kyiv carried out using Zircons, which caused a series of explosions in the Ukrainian capital. In particular, the strikes affected Zhulyany airport, where Patriot missile defense systems were located. According to sources, the missiles flew at an altitude of 30-35 km, which took them out of the control of Ukrainian air defense systems.

There is a version that the Zircons could be launched from the Bastion coastal anti-ship systems. "Zircons" were adopted by the Russian army in January 2023, and their use for attacks on Kyiv was confirmed by Vladimir Putin in February of this year during an address to the Federal Assembly.

These missiles have a range of up to 1000 km and can carry a warhead of 300-400 kg, making them a powerful weapon in the Russian army's arsenal. However, the ability of the Ukrainian Air Force to intercept Zircons at certain stages of the flight raises a number of questions among experts.