The precise targets for Russian strikes and the resulting damage remain unclear as Ukrainian authorities have maintained a tight lid of secrecy on such information to avoid giving Russia a clue for planning future attacks. Russia has used the Kinzhal to strike targets in Ukraine starting from the early days of the invasion, but it has used the expensive weapon sparingly and against priority targets, apparently reflecting the small number of Kinzhals available. A combination of hypersonic speed and a heavy warhead allows the Kinzhal to destroy heavily fortified targets, like underground bunkers or mountain tunnels. The Russian military says the air-launched ballistic missile has a range of up to 2,000 kilometers (about 1,250 miles) and flies at 10 times the speed of sound, making it hard to intercept.
The Kinzhal is one of the latest and most advanced Russian weapons. Military analysts noted that the number of Kinzhal missiles used in Thursday’s barrage was significantly higher compared to previous strikes, which have typically involved no more than a couple of such weapons. HOW DID THE LATEST BARRAGE DIFFER FROM EARLIER RUSSIAN ATTACKS? Moscow didn’t say how many missiles were fired, but claimed they hit the designated targets. A group of self-exiled Russians fighting alongside Ukrainian forces claimed responsibility for the attack, while Ukraine denied involvement.
Russia’s Defense Ministry described the barrage as a “strike of retribution” in retaliation for what Moscow described as a cross-border raid by Ukrainian saboteurs who attacked two villages in the Bryansk region in western Russia last week. Ukrainian air force spokesman Yurii Ihnat emphasized that Ukraine lacks assets to intercept the Kinzhal and the older Kh-22 missiles that were also used in Thursday’s strikes. Valerii Zaluzhnyi, said that Russia launched 81 missiles and eight exploding Iranian-made Shahed drones in a barrage early Thursday, and Ukraine’s air defenses downed 34 missiles and four drones.Īccording to Zaluzhnyi, those missiles included six hypersonic Kinzhal missiles, the most advanced weapons in the Russian arsenal. WHAT DID UKRAINIAN AND RUSSIAN OFFICIALS SAY? Here is a look at the latest Russian missile attack and the weapons involved. But just like previous such barrages it has failed to cause lasting damage to the country’s energy network, with repair crews quickly restoring power supplies to most regions. Thursday’s strikes differed from earlier attacks, though, by including a larger number of sophisticated hypersonic missiles that are the most advanced weapons in the Russian arsenal. Russia has been regularly launching similar strikes since October in a bid to demoralize the population and force the Ukrainian government to bow to the Kremlin’s demands. On Thursday, Russia fired over 80 missiles in a massive effort to overwhelm Ukrainian air defenses and cripple the country’s energy system. The latest Russian missile barrage against Ukraine’s civilian infrastructure has marked one of the largest such attacks in months.
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