The UK Ministry of Defence said in an intelligence update on Saturday that Russia’s much-hyped Kinzhal ballistic missile performs poorly, despite Russia boasting about plans to use them to patrol the Black Sea.

Putin has claimed that the weapon is an unstoppable hypersonic missile, but the UK department has stated that the Kinzhal’s performance in Ukraine has been “poor” so far, and that it is effectively still in operational testing.

On October 18, Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that Russia would begin permanent patrols of the Black Sea using MiG-31I interceptor aircraft equipped with Kinzhal – Russian for “dagger” – missiles.

He stated that it was not a threat, but rather a necessity due to the increased US involvement in Ukraine and increased maritime presence in the eastern Mediterranean.

He also claimed that the Kinzhal missiles have a “range of over 1,000km and a speed of up to Mach 9,” according to Russian news agency Tass.

According to the UK Ministry of Defence, Putin’s announcement was consistent with typical Russian domestic messaging, which frames the West as aggressors and Russian activity as necessary for the state’s protection.

It was likely done on purpose to remind Russians that the country still produces powerful weapons, according to the report.

Analysts have long noted that the Kinzhal has yet to live up to its inflated reputation.

While the Kinzhal is a sophisticated system, it is not a “hypersonic” weapon, as Moscow frequently claims, as Insider previously reported.

While the Kinzhal is capable of hypersonic flight, it lacks sustained hypersonic flight capability and is not as difficult to defend against as weapons that do, according to experts.

In May, Ukraine said it shot down a Kinzhal missile with a Patriot interceptor made in the United States.

Days later, it claimed to have shot down six Russian Kinzhal missiles over Kyiv, an unprecedented number.

Russia was dealt a psychological blow with the destruction of the Kinzhal missiles.

The missile’s manufacturer, Rostec, claimed “there is no countermeasure,” and Russian Defence Minister Sergey Shoigu declared it “impossible to detect or intercept.”