One of Russia’s most modern hypersonic missiles was retrieved by Ukrainian forces.

Ukrainian forces have recently recovered Russian hypersonic missiles, which can travel at speeds of more than Mach 5.

Russia had been testing the weapons off its Crimean coast, raising the risk of a potential conflict with Ukrainian troops already locked in a longstanding military struggle in Eastern Ukraine.

The recovery of these missiles is key to enhancing Ukraine’s defense capabilities and protecting itself from further attacks by Russia. Hypersonic missiles are extremely difficult to detect and track because they move so quickly through the atmosphere that it gives adversaries almost no time to react or prepare countermeasures.

This will likely result in an increased presence of additional defensive measures for Ukrainian personnel as well as enhanced surveillance tactics used by Russian forces in Crimea.