Russia said Sunday it fired a Zircon hypersonic cruise missile at a target in the Barents Sea and that Sukhoi Su-34 fighter-bombers conducted bombing strikes as part of joint strategic exercises with Belarus.
The drills, dubbed Zapad (West), began on Sept. 12 and aim to improve military command and coordination in the event of an attack on either country, the Russian Defence Ministry said. Footage released by the ministry showed the Northern Fleet frigate Admiral Golovko launching a missile that, according to the ministry, destroyed its target "by a direct hit."
The ministry said the footage showed a missile being launched vertically from the frigate and then shifting its trajectory into the horizon. It identified the weapon as the Zircon, known in Russia as the 3M22 and by NATO as the SS-N-33. The ministry also said long-range anti-submarine aircraft of the Northern Fleet’s mixed aviation corps took part in the exercise.
Separately, the ministry said Su-34 crews practiced bombing strikes against ground targets. Additional state-released images and video showed Tupolev Tu-22M3 strategic bomber crews rehearsing strike profiles and units employing coastal multiple rocket launch systems during the drills.
Moscow and Minsk have repeatedly described the Zapad exercises as defensive and said they have no intention of attacking any NATO member. NATO, however, announced an "Eastern Sentry" operation to monitor activity in the region following the incursion of Russian drones into Polish territory on Sept. 9-10, an incident that prompted concern among alliance members.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said in 2019 that the Zircon can travel at speeds up to nine times the speed of sound and strike targets at sea and on land at ranges exceeding 600 miles. Russian media have reported that the missile’s range is between roughly 400 and 1,000 kilometers, with a warhead mass of about 300 to 400 kilograms. The Defence Ministry’s recent statements reiterated the weapon’s role in long-range maritime and coastal strike missions.
Analysts and officials outside Russia have noted that hypersonic systems, by virtue of their speed and maneuverability, present challenges for current missile defenses, although assessments of their operational reliability and exact performance characteristics vary. The ministry did not provide independent verification of the weapon’s performance beyond its real-time monitoring assertion that the target was destroyed.
The Zapad exercises are intended to test and refine interoperability between Russian and Belarusian forces, including command-and-control procedures, logistics, and coordinated strike capabilities. Russian statements described a range of participants, from naval surface combatants and long-range aviation to coastal defense and anti-sabotage units.
The drills come amid heightened tensions between Russia and NATO countries and follow months of military activity across Europe and Russia’s western military districts. NATO officials have said they will continue to monitor exercises closely and maintain readiness measures adopted after recent border incidents.
The Russian Defence Ministry said the exercises would continue as planned and emphasized their defensive character. It provided no timeline for the completion of all scheduled training events.