Russian Kinzhal hypersonic missiles may strike NATO base in Romania before they know it

During a special military operation in Ukraine, the Russian Armed Forces used Kinzhal (Dagger) hypersonic missile systems three times, the Rossiyskaya Gazeta publication (The Russian Newspaper) reports.

The Kinzhal hypersonic missile was used in Ukraine for the first time on March 18 to destroy the underground warehouse of missiles and aviation ammunition of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) in the village of Delyatyn, the Ivano-Frankivsk region. NATO's Deveselu army base with the Aegis Ashore missile defense system is only 80 kilometres away, in Romania, the newspaper added. 

“The attack with hypersonic Kinzhal missiles showed very clearly that our hypersonic missiles with conventional warheads will sweep the NATO Aegis Ashore missile defense system away, if required, before it can be put on alert,” the publication said.

In November 2018, the US Naval Research Institute noted that missile defense systems deployed in Romania and Poland could be easily converted into offensive systems.