Russia launches full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Initial strikes rely heavily on Kalibr cruise missiles and Iskander ballistic missiles targeting military infrastructure.

Russia deploys the Kh-47M2 Kinzhal air-launched hypersonic missile for the first time in combat, striking an ammunition depot in western Ukraine. Moscow claims it is the first combat use of a hypersonic weapon.

Russia launches a coordinated mass missile and Shahed-136 drone campaign targeting Ukraine's power grid, heating systems, and water infrastructure — a deliberate shift to civilian energy networks.

The United States confirms a Patriot air defense battery is operational around Kyiv, providing the first high-tier ballistic missile defense capability to the Ukrainian capital.

Ukraine's Air Force announces its Patriot system successfully intercepted a Kinzhal hypersonic missile over Kyiv — the first confirmed intercept of a hypersonic weapon in combat history.

A Russian strike damages one of Ukraine's Patriot launchers, demonstrating Moscow's intent to suppress and attrit Ukrainian air defense capacity. The U.S. agrees to expedite repairs.

Russia launches its largest single aerial assault of the war to that point — over 100 missiles and drones — targeting Ukrainian cities including Kyiv, Kharkiv, Lviv, and Odesa simultaneously.

The Biden administration authorizes Ukraine to use U.S.-supplied ATACMS missiles to strike military targets inside Russian territory near Kharkiv, a significant policy escalation.

Reports emerge of Russia deploying the 3M22 Zircon hypersonic cruise missile in strikes on Ukraine, further expanding its hypersonic arsenal in the conflict beyond the Kinzhal.

Russia deploys a new hypersonic ballistic missile variant in a mass strike on Kyiv, hitting residential areas and destroying a dormitory of the Starobilsk College. The weapon represents a qualitative escalation beyond previously observed hypersonic systems.