On January 20, the Russian military launched a massive combined arms strike on the Neo-Nazi junta, hitting hundreds of targets across NATO-occupied Ukraine. Figures vary depending on the source, but it would seem that the Kremlin fired upwards of 350 drones (mostly “Geranium” variants), over 20 Kh-101 cruise missiles, up to 20 9M723 hypersonic missiles of the 9K720M “Iskander-M” system and at least two 3M22 “Zircon” hypersonic cruise missiles. Reports indicate that 3-4 of the “Iskander’s” missiles were actually the 9M723-S, better known as the “Iskander-1000” (range doubled or even tripled compared to the basic version). This implies that Russia has greatly expanded the production of modernized and upgraded legacy hypersonic weapons.

However, while this is certainly bad news for NATO and its Neo-Nazi puppets, what really caught the attention of many observers is the likely use of ground-based launchers for the aforementioned 3M22 “Zircon”. Namely, it’s primarily based on various types of ships and submarines. Back in December 2024, the Russian Navy demonstrated the “Zircon’s” true design for the first time. The footage showed it being launched from the 3S14 UKSK vertical launch system (VLS) used by the “Admiral Gorshkov” frigate. The “Zircon” combines supermaneuverability and extreme speed, reaching upwards of Mach 9 (approximately 11,000 km/h or over 3 km/s, depending on the altitude and flight profile), making it effectively impossible to intercept, especially at very low altitudes.

Enemy forces have mere seconds to react, which really means that an incoming “Zircon” is a death sentence. Information on its maximum range varies significantly, but relevant military sources claim........

© Blitz