Kinzhal (Kh-47M2): how long it takes to reach Kyiv

The Kinzhal (Kh-47M2) is an aeroballistic missile based on the Iskander, launched from a MiG-31K fighter. From a launch over Lipetsk Oblast to Kyiv it flies between 3.1 min and 8.2 min: the first figure assumes the speed Russia claims, the second an independent estimate of the real one. In 2026 Kinzhals have become rare: according to Ukraine's Defence Intelligence, serial production was halted in April ^[5].

The holed nose section of a Kinzhal missile, with Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko beside it — Wreckage of the Kinzhal shot down over Kyiv on the night of 4 May 2023 — the first Kinzhal downed by a Patriot system. Photo: Kyiv City State Administration, CC BY 4.0.

How long the Kinzhal takes to reach Kyiv, Kharkiv, Dnipro, Odesa and Lviv

Lipetsk Oblast → Kyiv · 672 km 3.1 min at the claimed speed8.2 min by an independent estimate

Russia claims up to Mach 10 for the Kinzhal; independent estimates of its real speed are about Mach 4 after launch and Mach 3–3.5 near the target ^[1] ^[3]. So every route below has two figures: at the claimed speed (13,000 km/h — the map uses it too, so as not to underestimate the threat) and at the independent estimate (4,900 km/h). The real time lies between them. The widely quoted "3.2 minutes to Kyiv" is a calculation for the claimed speed ^[4].

at the claimed speed by an independent estimate (~Mach 4)

Kinzhal flight time from launch areas to cities (straight line)
Launch area	Kyiv	Kharkiv	Dnipro	Odesa	Lviv
Lipetsk Oblast	3.1 min 8.2 min 672 km	1.7 min 4.6 min 373 km	2.6 min 6.9 min 562 km	4.3 min 11 min 934 km	5.2 min 14 min 1125 km
Ryazan Oblast	3.6 min 9.5 min 777 km	2.6 min 7.0 min 568 km	3.5 min 9.3 min 758 km	5.1 min 14 min 1106 km	5.5 min 15 min 1192 km
Tambov Oblast	3.7 min 9.7 min 795 km	2.2 min 5.8 min 472 km	3.0 min 8.0 min 654 km	4.8 min 13 min 1037 km	5.8 min 15 min 1250 km

Because the time is so short, the alert is declared not at launch but when the MiG-31K takes off — for the whole country ^[10]. The aircraft has no fixed launch line, so the areas above are the ones the Air Force named in 2025–2026.

Kinzhal speed: claimed and real

Claimed by Russia (up to Mach 10) — used by the map 13 000 km/h
In the descent, estimate by Roman Svitan (Mach 4–5) 4 900–6 100 km/h
After launch, CSIS estimate (~Mach 4) 4 900 km/h
Near the target, Defense Express estimate (up to Mach 3.4) 4 200 km/h
Near the target, Defence Intelligence data (1,333–1,444 m/s) 4 800–5 200 km/h

In October 2026 Ukraine's Defence Intelligence published its own flight-profile figures: a peak of 12,000 km/h at the start of the terminal phase, 7,560 at the end of the boost phase and 4,800–5,200 near the target ^[18]. So "Mach 10" is real, but only over a short stretch; what air defence actually meets is three times slower and matches the independent estimates.

The "hypersonic" label is misleading: almost every ballistic missile exceeds Mach 5 on some part of its flight ^[1] ^[3].

Is the Kinzhal a ballistic or a cruise missile?

Ballistic. More precisely, aeroballistic — an air-launched ballistic missile: the MiG-31K accelerates to ~Mach 2.8 at 15–25 km and releases it, and the missile then flies a quasi-ballistic path with an apogee of up to ~50 km and dives onto the target ^[2] ^[3]. Cruise missiles — the Kalibr, the Kh-101 — fly quite differently: subsonic and low over the ground.

Kinzhal vs Iskander: the difference

The Kinzhal is a modified Iskander-M missile adapted for launch from an aircraft ^[2] ^[6]. The Iskander-M starts from a ground launcher, so its reach is limited to a few hundred kilometres from the border. The Kinzhal gets its range from the carrier: the MiG-31K lifts and accelerates the missile, so together with the aircraft's radius 1,500–2,000 km is claimed. On the Alarm Maps map they are two different threat types: Iskander-M — ground-launched ballistic, Kinzhal — aeroballistic.

Kinzhal specifications

3D model of the Kh-47M2 Kinzhal aeroballistic missile from the War & Sanctions portal of Ukraine's Defence Intelligence — 3D model of the Kh-47M2 Kinzhal, reconstructed by Defence Intelligence from debris and documentation. Image: Defence Intelligence of Ukraine, War & Sanctions, frame from the 12.10.2026 announcement.

A Kinzhal missile warhead on gravel, made safe by State Emergency Service sappers in Lviv Oblast — A Kinzhal warhead made safe by State Emergency Service sappers in Lviv Oblast, October 2024. Photo: State Emergency Service of Ukraine, CC BY 4.0.

Type	aeroballistic missile (air-launched ballistic missile) based on the 9M723 Iskander-M
Other names	Kh-47M2, Russian «Кинжал»; NATO reporting name AS-24 Killjoy
Carrier	MiG-31K fighter (one missile); no launches from Tu-22M3 against Ukraine have been recorded ^[2] ^[3]
Speed	claimed up to Mach 10; independent estimates about Mach 4 after launch ^[1]
Range	up to 1,000 km per Defence Intelligence ^[18]; Russia claims up to 2,000 km together with the carrier's radius ^[1] ^[3]
Warhead	450 kg, penetrating high-explosive (or nuclear) per Defence Intelligence ^[18]; ~150 kg of explosive ^[3]
Weight and size	~4,300 kg ^[1]; length 7,175 mm (8,000 with the tail fairing), diameter 920 mm ^[18]
Ceiling	up to 100 km ^[18]
Guidance	inertial with satellite-navigation correction and an active radar seeker, the U508 ^[18] ^[3]
Price	about $4.5 million according to documents obtained by Militarnyi; CSIS estimated up to $15 million ^[6]
First interception	night of 4 May 2023 over Kyiv Oblast, by a Patriot system ^[14]

What it is made of, Defence Intelligence showed on 12 October 2026: an interactive 3D model, 197 components (most of them in the U508 seeker) and 58 cooperating enterprises — from the designer KBM and the Votkinsk plant to Radar MMS and the Polyus institute. Foreign parts come from ten countries: chips by Texas Instruments, Analog Devices, Micron, AMD, Altera (Intel), Marvell, Murata, Toshiba, and Belarus's Integral, manufactured in 2020–2022 ^[18]. That is the "import substitution" that failed ^[16].

Where Kinzhals are launched from

The Kinzhal's carriers, MiG-31Ks, are based at Savasleyka airfield in Nizhny Novgorod Oblast. Missiles have been launched from the airspace of Lipetsk (May 2026), Ryazan (March and June 2026) and Tambov oblasts (late 2025) ^[8]; on 11 February 2026 two Kinzhals were fired at Lviv in daytime ^[15]. On 15 August 2026 Ukraine struck Savasleyka; according to OSINT, some MiG-31Ks were then moved to Tatarstan ^[11].

The Kinzhal in 2026

According to Defence Intelligence, Russia halted serial production of the Kinzhal and the Kh-32 in April 2026 — because of low accuracy (misses of 30 m and more) — and moved resources to the Iskander-M ^[5].
By July Russia had about 50 Kinzhals left, according to intelligence ^[6]; their use in 2026 fell fourfold ^[7].
The last launch in Air Force summaries was on 21 June 2026 (two missiles from Ryazan Oblast) ^[8]; the results for July–September list no Kinzhals destroyed ^[9].
Alerts on MiG-31K take-offs continue even without launches: nationwide on 7 August and 17 September 2026 ^[10].
The flight computer of a missile downed in May 2026 again contained American processors: replacing them with Russian ones failed ^[16].

Can the Kinzhal be shot down?

Yes. The first was downed on the night of 4 May 2023 over Kyiv Oblast by a Patriot system ^[14]. Since the full-scale invasion began, the Air Force has neutralised 91 Kh-47M2 missiles (as of 2 August 2026) ^[12]. The main tool is the Patriot, and the main constraint is the shortage of PAC-3 interceptors ^[13]. The makers of Ukraine's Lima electronic-warfare system claim to have pushed more than 60 Kinzhals off course; this has not been independently verified ^[17].

What the Kinzhal looks like on the map

A purple marker with a dot in the centre — "Kinzhal". Next to it, how many minutes are left until it arrives. Open the map · all threat types · Kalibr · Banderol

Sources

The flight times in the table are an Alarm Maps calculation: straight-line distance divided by speed. How we compute the time to arrival on the map is described on the Sources page.

Updated 12 October 2026.