On the morning of February 7, during a massive attack on Kyiv, Soviet troops used the hypersonic Zircon missile, known as the "wunderwaffe" of the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin. This information was disseminated by a number of law enforcement agencies, adding that two such missiles were probably used, and the wreckage of one of them has already been found. Examination and investigative actions are ongoing.
According to reports from Defense Express, the wreckage of a ZM22 Zircon missile found on February 7 in the Dnipro district of Kyiv displays ZM22 markings, indicating its origin from the Zircons. However, the command of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine does not confirm the use of these missiles.
Sources told Defense Express that the level of fragmentation of the wreckage is very high, making it difficult to identify it. An additional problem is the paucity of information about ZM22 "Zirkon", which has not been published publicly. Therefore, the possibility of establishing the exact origin of these fragments remains open.
According to this information, the fragments of the missile found in the Dnipro district of Kyiv are similar to those found in previous missile attacks against Ukraine, when the use of Zircon missiles was also suspected. This may indicate that the Russian Federation is not using this missile against Ukraine for the first time.
"Zircon" rockets, developed by the rocket design bureau "Scientific and Production Association of Mechanical Engineering" in Reutov, have impressive technical characteristics. The developers claim that the maximum speed of these missiles reaches 10,000 kilometers per hour at an altitude of 20 kilometers, and their maximum range is promised to reach 1,000 kilometers.
The "Scientific-Production Association of Mechanical Engineering" describes this weapon as "the world's first hypersonic cruise missile that can make a long aerodynamic flight with maneuvering in dense layers of the atmosphere, using the thrust of its own engine throughout the route."
Carriers of these missiles are warships. According to a report published by the British think tank "Royal United Defense and Security Research Institute" (RUSI) in January last year, "Zircon" was tested from a frigate in 2020, and in 2021 it was first launched from a submarine .
As early as January 2022, a recommendation was made to adopt Zircon missiles into service with the Russian Navy. However, in January 2024, Oleksandr Leonov, general director-general designer of the Scientific and Production Association of Mechanical Engineering, noted that this has not yet happened, and the missiles require further testing before being put into military service.
The frigate "Admiral Gorshkov" and the submarine K-560 "Severodvinsk" (project 885 "Yasen") are carriers of these missiles. Note that both boats are beyond the reach of the "Zirkon" in Ukraine. Therefore, according to the assumptions of the publication, the adapted "Bastion" complex or the "Utes" coastal missile complex (known as "Object-100") in the occupied Crimea could be used to launch the rocket.
Regarding the breakthrough in hypersonic technology, there are conflicting reports. According to the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, during tests in 2020, the missile reached a speed of more than 8 mach. The Kremlin insists that this missile is "invulnerable", and Putin called its creation a "breakthrough". A report by a Russian "analyst" claims that none of the known air defense systems can shoot down a hypersonic weapon. However, Defense Express believes that the Zircon, like the Dagger, may simply be a high-velocity solid-fuel missile.
International security expert Taras Zhovtenko notes that the Kremlin uses technological advances for the purpose of political propaganda. Although Russian propaganda declared the Dagger to be "invulnerable" to anti-aircraft missiles, during the full-scale war in Ukraine, 25 such missiles were shot down, the Air Force Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported.
RUSI analysts express doubts about the credibility of President Putin's statements regarding the technical characteristics of the Zircon missile, pointing to some inconsistencies in the information presented.
According to analysts, the long flight range of the missile, which was equal to 1 thousand kilometers, was surprising, given its length, which is almost equal to the length of the Onyx missile. This is questionable, since usually the speed and range of a missile are proportional, and higher speed results in shorter range. However, analysts acknowledge that there are other factors that influence these parameters, such as fuel efficiency or missile aerodynamics.
RUSI analysts also draw attention to the fact that the development speed of the Zircon missile - 10 years - is extremely fast for the Russian military-industrial complex. However, they note that foreign sources, including American military intelligence, have long considered Zircon a serious threat.
Analyzing the possible consequences of using these missiles in the war against Ukraine, RUSI experts note that the carriers of these missiles cannot pass through the Bosphorus, which complicates their use in the region. The expediency of using expensive military equipment for attacks on the civilian infrastructure of Ukraine is also questioned. 
RUSI analysts conclude that the Zircon missiles may not have the status of a "wunderwaffe" and their production program will compete for funding with other projects. However, they emphasize the importance of operational deployment of these missiles, although they emphasize that their importance should not be exaggerated.
