‘Putin will probably turn to nuclear missiles’ after Ukraine humiliated him by downing his Kinzhals

A furious Vladimir Putin will probably turn to nuclear weapons after Kyiv humiliated the despot by downing his supposedly ‘unstoppable’ hypersonic missiles, a retired US Army Brigadier General said today.

This week Ukraine announced that it had shot down six of Russia’s hypersonic ‘Kinzhal’ missiles – days after the US military confirmed Kyiv had downed another of Putin’s hypersonic missiles using America’s Patriot defence system.

Kevin Ryan, who served as chief of staff for the US Army’s Space and Missile Defense Command, said now that Putin’s ‘unstoppable’ missiles are being destroyed, it means that a decisive victory for the Russian leader is getting further and further out of his reach.

Ryan warned that if Putin cannot force a victory with conventional weapons, the frustrated despot will ‘probably turn to nuclear weapons’. 

‘Putin is running out of ways to escalate the war in a way that would force Ukraine – and the West – to back down,’ Ryan, a senior fellow at Harvard University’s Belfer Center in the US, told MailOnline.

Air defence missiles over Kyiv on Monday night when Ukraine claimed that it had downed six of Russia’s hypersonic ‘Kinzhal’ missiles

The remains of a Kh-47M2 Kinzhal missile which Russia used to attack Kyiv

‘His massive invasion and frequent bombing campaigns have failed to give him a decisive victory. If he cannot force a victory with conventional weapons, he will probably turn to nuclear weapons.’ 

Russia has lost an estimated 197,000 soldiers since the war began as well thousands of Russian military vehicles including tanks and infantry transport vehicles.

‘Russia’s conventional (non-nuclear) forces are already showing themselves not up to the task in Ukraine. That is why Putin has relied so heavily on nuclear threats,’ Ryan said. 

‘If it’s proven that the Kinzhal has not lived up to expectations, the effectiveness of the whole spectrum of Russia’s strategic weapons, nuclear and non-nuclear, are put in doubt.’

Ukraine yesterday said its robust air defence system, comprised of Soviet-era and Western-supplied platforms, managed to successfully shoot down 18 of Moscow’s missiles, six of which were reportedly hypersonic ‘Kinzhal’ missiles.

It was the first time Ukraine claimed to have struck an entire volley of multiple Kinzhal missiles, and if confirmed, would be a demonstration of the effectiveness of its newly deployed Western air defences. 

Retired US Army Colonel Gian Gentile told MailOnline: ‘It is one more factor that complicates Russia’s attempts to pound Ukrainians into submission by attacking their populations centers and infrastructure. 

‘That has been the ultimate goal since last winter but it has failed to come even close to breaking Ukrainian will to fight. 

‘On the opposite side it increases Ukrainian confidence that their air defense systems can reasonably, not perfectly of course, but reasonably protect their populations and infrastructure and it only increases their will to further resist and ultimately defeat Russia’s occupation of their homeland.’

The 24ft-long Kinzhal hypersonic missiles can carry conventional or nuclear warheads and were touted by Putin in 2018 as ‘unstoppable’.

The Kinzhal can be fired from the MiG-31, Tu-160 or Tu-22M3M warplanes, and it has been used by Moscow in the war.

It has a range of 1,250 miles and its conventional version was deployed for the first time against Ukraine in March 2022.

Ryan warned that if Putin (pictured on Wednesday in Moscow) cannot force a victory with conventional weapons, the frustrated despot will ‘probably turn to nuclear weapons’

Explosion of a Russian-launched missile in the sky over Kyiv in the early hours of Tuesday morning

But with their apparent destruction in Kyiv on Tuesday, experts say that there will be a huge psychological impact on Russian soldiers on the front lines, whose levels of morale are already at ‘rock bottom’ amid heavy losses on the battlefield.

Alan Mendoza, the executive director of the UK think-tank Henry Jackson Society, told MailOnline: ‘Seeing your own wonder weapons shot out of the sky can only have a detrimental effect on the already lamentable Russian front-line morale.

‘These soldiers know that they will be taking increased casualties without the offensive capabilities generated by a missile strike force.’

John Kennedy, research leader of defence and security at research institute RAND Europe, said the downing of the hypersonic missiles will make Russian soldiers doubt the wisdom of their commanders. 

‘Putin himself has publicly showcased the outcome of these programs, including the Kinzhal hypersonic cruise missile, on state TV. He wanted to create the impression that Russia had a military edge over Nato,’ Kennedy told MailOnline.

‘But the Kinzhal has evidently not given Putin the unstoppable capability he promised.

‘If Russian soldiers do not already doubt the wisdom of their commanders, the interception of a weapon that Putin himself flaunted will probably do the trick,’ Kennedy said, adding that the move will be a ‘huge boost to Ukrainian morale’ ahead of their anticipated counteroffensive.

Mendoza said Kyiv’s ability to shoot down the deadly Kinzhal missiles – which Russia has been using to try to paralyse Ukraine – will allow Ukrainian forces to focus on the battles on the front line.

He said that this is just the latest setback for Putin in his war that has seen hundreds of thousands of Russian soldiers killed.

‘This is the latest in a long line of setbacks for the man who is the architect of Russia’s current predicament. The war he launched to prove Russia’s strength and vitality has showcased its weakness and sclerosis,’ Mendoza said. 

In a further blow to Putin, the UK said last week it would supply Ukraine with Storm Shadow long-range cruise missiles.

The Storm Shadow missiles will allow Ukrainian troops to hit Russian soldiers and command centres deep into Moscow-held territory in eastern Ukraine. 

Retired US Army Colonel Gian Gentile, who served two tours in Iraq, said the deadly missiles will leave Russian soldiers ‘shaking with fear’ amid Ukraine’s upcoming counteroffensive.

Britain and other Western countries have scaled up their military aid for Ukraine this year, with Britain saying in January it would send 14 of its main Challenger 2 battle tanks to Ukraine, a pledge that was followed by other nations including the United States and Germany.

Ukrainian forces are widely believed to be gearing up for a long-awaited counter-offensive against Russian troops, with gains already claimed around the flashpoint of Bakhmut.

But Mr Zelensky has yet to succeed in his coveted goal of enlisting Western fighter jets to seize command of the skies, although Rishi Sunak yesterday announced preparations to open a flight school to train Ukrainian pilots.