Published by Global Banking and Finance Review
Posted on September 13, 2025
1 min readLast updated: January 21, 2026
Russian MiG-31 jets with hypersonic missiles flew over the Barents Sea during Zapad 2025 drills, highlighting ongoing military tensions.
(Reuters) -Russians MiG-31 fighter jets equipped with hypersonic ballistic missiles completed a four-hour flight over the neutral waters of the Barents Sea as part of ongoing 'Zapad 2025' military exercises, the Interfax news agency reported on Saturday.
Russia and Belarus began the joint drills on Friday during a tense moment in the Russia-Ukraine war, days after Poland shot down suspected Russian drones over its airspace.
The Kinzhal, which means "dagger" in Russian, is an air-launched hypersonic ballistic missile capable of carrying nuclear or conventional warheads. Russia has previously used the weapons against Ukraine.
(Reporting by Lucy Papachristou; Editing by Sharon Singleton)
A ballistic missile is a weapon that follows a ballistic trajectory to deliver one or more warheads to a predetermined target. They are typically powered during the initial phase of flight and then follow a free-fall path.
Hypersonic missiles are advanced weapons that can travel at speeds greater than Mach 5 (five times the speed of sound). They are designed to evade detection and interception due to their speed and maneuverability.
Military drills are exercises conducted by armed forces to practice and improve their operational readiness, coordination, and effectiveness in various scenarios. They help in assessing strategies and training personnel.
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