VOA新闻杂志2023--乌克兰声称用美国系统击落了俄罗斯高科技导弹

Ukraine Claims it Shot Down Hi-Tech Russian Missile with US System

Ukraine said Saturday that it shot down one of Russia's hypersonic missiles using an American-made defense¹ system.

Ukrainian military commander Mykola Oleshchuk said his forces downed the Russian missile over Kiev the night of May 4. He said they used the American Patriot² missile defense system. He said a Russian aircraft had launched the hypersonic missile from Russian airspace into Ukraine.

Ukraine sent soldiers to the U.S. earlier this year for training on the missile defense system. It is the first time Ukraine is known to have used the defense.

Russia's military says the hypersonic missile can travel 2,000 kilometers and flies 10 times faster than the speed of sound, which makes it hard to shoot down.

The combination of its speed and a heavy warhead makes the Kinzhal missile very powerful. It can destroy well-protected targets or mountain tunnels. It could also damage a large part of a city.

The U.S. offered Ukraine access and training for the Patriot system in late 2022, just before a visit from President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Ukraine received its first Patriot system in April. The systems came from the U.S., Germany and the Netherlands. It is not clear how many systems Ukraine has or where they are.

Before last week's news, Russia said the U.S. Patriot system was too old to shoot down its fast missiles.

Yurii Inhat is a spokesman for Ukraine's Air Force.

"They were saying that the Patriot is an outdated³ American weapon, and Russian weapons are the best in the world" he said. "Well, there is confirmation⁴ that it effectively works against even a super-hypersonic missile."

Inhat called it "a slap in the face for Russia."

Ukraine's military first asked for a Patriot system in August 2021, well before Russia's February 2022 invasion. At that time, the U.S. said it could not send the system.

Ukraine's top military leader is Valerii Zaluznyi. He thanked the U.S. for its aid in a message on the Telegram system over the weekend.

Words in This Story

hypersonic –adj. able to travel faster than the speed of sound

warhead –n. the part of a missile with the explosive device

slap –v. to hit with an open hand

1 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

2 patriot   

n.爱国者，爱国主义者

参考例句：

• He avowed himself a patriot.他自称自己是爱国者。
• He is a patriot who has won the admiration of the French already.他是一个已经赢得法国人敬仰的爱国者。

3 outdated   

adj.旧式的，落伍的，过时的；v.使过时

参考例句：

• That list of addresses is outdated,many have changed.那个通讯录已经没用了，许多地址已经改了。
• Many of us conform to the outdated customs laid down by our forebears.我们许多人都遵循祖先立下的过时习俗。

4 confirmation   

n.证实，确认，批准

参考例句：

• We are waiting for confirmation of the news.我们正在等待证实那个消息。
• We need confirmation in writing before we can send your order out.给你们发送订购的货物之前，我们需要书面确认。