MOSCOW

The Russian army used Kinzhal hypersonic missiles three times in Ukraine, said the Russian defense minister on Sunday.

Speaking to Russia’s Rossiya-1 TV Channel, Sergei Shoigu said Kinzhal has been used three times in special military operation with excellent results.

He stated that these missiles were launched against important targets in Ukraine.

Kinzhal is a Russian nuclear-capable hypersonic air-to-surface ballistic missile with a range of more than 2,000 kilometers (1,242 miles). It has the ability to perform evasive maneuvers at every stage of its flight.

The Russian army has been using the 5th generation Su-57 fighter jet in Ukraine, Shoigu added.

Russia’s war on Ukraine, which began in February, has left thousands dead or wounded, and forced 6 million people to flee abroad.

Moscow calls its actions a "special military operation" to "demilitarize" and "denazify" Ukraine. For Western countries, however, it is a war of aggression and they have imposed severe sanctions in response, including a ban on Russian state media, asset freezes, as well as excluding banks from the SWIFT international payment system.