Ukrainian air defense units reportedly shot down a half-dozen of Russia’s highly-touted Kinzhal hypersonic missiles during a massive air strike on Kyiv. The missiles, considered to be one of the Russian army’s crown jewels, were intercepted by the U.S.-made Patriot missile system.

Straight Arrow News contributor Peter Zeihan says the incident is not only a big win for Ukraine but also a humiliating moment for Vladimir Putin.

Excerpted from Peter’s May 16 “Zeihan on Geopolitics” newsletter.

Russia launched a volley of missiles into Ukraine overnight, of which six were Kinzhals, aka Russia’s top-shelf hypersonic ballistic missiles. Reports coming out of Kyiv state that Ukraine was able to shoot down all the Kinzhals in the strike.

This is one of the most advanced weapons in Russia’s arsenal, and Ukrainian defenses were able to put them down with relative ease…talk about a shot to Putin’s ego. For anyone with looming concerns about a war with Russia, their coffee probably tasted a little bit better this morning.