The Armed Forces of Ukraine (APU) did shoot down a Russian hypersonic missile "Dagger" in early May with the help of the American Patriot anti-aircraft missile system (SAM). The information was confirmed by Pentagon spokesman Patrick Ryder. The statement was published on the official website of the US Department of Defense.
“I can confirm that they shot down a Russian missile with a Patriot missile defense system. This system is part of a wider range of air defense capabilities that the United States and the international community have provided to Ukraine.”
The Russian Defense Ministry did not comment on the information about the "Dagger".
Earlier, the commander of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Mykola Oleshchuk, said that on the night of May 4, a “Dagger” was shot down in the sky over the Kiev region for the first time. Before that, the Defense Express portal reported that the Armed Forces of Ukraine shot down the “Dagger”, however, these allegations were denied by the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The Insider noted in a military briefing that Ukraine has Patriot complexes, which, in the PAC-3 modification, are capable of shooting down ballistic missiles.
In August 2022, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu stated that the "Dagger" was used during the "special operation" three times and showed brilliant performance three times. Separately, the minister noted that the missile has no analogues in the world, it cannot be "neither detected nor intercepted."
