According to Russia's defense ministry in Moscow, a hypersonic ballistic missile was shot and destroyed a large underground arms store in western Ukraine.
If confirmed, it would be Russia's first use of the Kinzhal, or Dagger, ballistic missile from the air, most likely by a MiG-31 warplane, in this war.
What are hypersonic missiles, and how do they work?
Russia's investment in hypersonic missiles, which can travel at more than five times the speed of sound, or Mach 5, has been emphasized by President Vladimir Putin on several occasions.
According to Russian officials, the Kinzhal can attack a target up to 2,000 kilometers (1,240 miles) away and travel at speeds of over 6,000 kilometers per hour. But does this make them any more hazardous than other missiles or even artillery, both of which can kill and destroy just as many people?
"I don't think it's that significant," says James Acton of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, a nuclear policy expert. "I'm not sure how much of a competitive advantage Russia gets from hypersonic weapons."
Last December, President Putin boasted that Russia was the world leader in hypersonic missiles, which are difficult to track because they can change course in mid-flight.
Russia released a video of a missile strike on an armaments storage in Deliatyn, a hamlet in south-western Ukraine only 100 kilometers from Romania's border.
"It's a showmanship indication." Even if it is used, we should treat it as a one-off because Russia does not have a huge number of these missiles," said Dominika Kunertova of the Zurich-based Center for Security Studies.
The Kinzhal was introduced four years ago by Russian President Vladimir Putin as one of a series of "invincible" weapons that he claimed could bypass opposing defenses. The Zirkon and the Avangard are the other hypersonic missiles, with the Avangard being quicker and having a much longer range.
The Kinzhal can carry both nuclear and conventional warheads, and new sources claim that MiG-31 fighters have been dispatched to Kaliningrad, putting a number of European capitals within striking distance. The attack on the arms depot was launched from an unknown location.
"It's a signal to the West," Ms Kunertova told the BBC, "because Putin is irritated that the West is daring to send all these weapons [to Ukraine]." "It's debatable how precise it is, so it's not a game changer."
According to James Acton, the Kinzhal is assumed to be an Iskander missile that has been adapted for fighter jets, and Russian ground launchers have already fired Iskander-M missiles since the beginning of the war.
Despite the fact that the Iskander-M has a much shorter range than the air-launched missile, Ukraine's defense ministry stated this week that Russia has fired nearly all of its Iskander missiles in the first 20 days of the conflict.
Russian forces have fired over 1,080 missiles since February 24, according to a US defense official quoted on Friday.
Mr Acton told the BBC that "[that] is an extraordinary figure and a very large fraction of Russia's pre-war arsenal," referring to Russia's increased use of unguided bombs in aerial operations. "It's possible they're running out on precise munitions."
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