Russia tested the use of a new cruise missile in strikes on Ukraine on Tuesday, the Ukrainian National Resistance Center claimed on Wednesday.
The three new model air-launched cruise missiles were fired from Tupolev Tu-95 strategic bombers Tuesday morning. The Ukrainian Air Force said that there was a cruise missile barrage on Tuesday morning from three Tu-95s flying over the Caspian Sea, but said that only one missile reached Ukrainian airspace where it was destroyed. The National Resistance Center claimed that this was due to a new guidance system that was being tested that failed.
The missiles would ostensibly replace the Kh-101 and Kh-555 missiles, which are also deployed by large bombers. On the same day as the test, the Ukrainian Air Force said that 14 Kh-101 and Kh-555 missiles were launched at Ukraine. Ten of them were intercepted, but the military claimed that at least ten were killed when a residential area was hit, including a five-story building in Kryvyi Rih.
Ukraine under heavy barrages from Russian cruise missiles
Ukraine has been under heavy barrages from Russian cruise missiles, Iranian-made drones and artillery in recent days.
An unexploded missile is seen amid Ukraine-Russia conflict in Kramatorsk, Ukraine, in this handout picture released March 9, 2022. (credit: Press service of the National Guard of Ukraine/Handout via REUTERS)Early Thursday morning four cruise missiles were launched by bombers, three hitting facilities in the Dnipropetrovsk region. One was intercepted. Another twenty suicide drones were launched in the north and south fronts, but all were reported to have been shot down.
As Russia continues to use its missiles to strike deep into the Ukrainian flank, the National Resistance Center said on Monday that the Kremlin planned to enhance its firepower by relocating a Bal coastal missile system from the Black Sea to Bryansk. While normally used to strike naval vessels, the center claimed that the system could also be used to strike land targets.
The National Resistance Center claimed on Tuesday that Russian 122-mm and 152-mm artillery shells produced in 2023 were being found to have defects in Bryansk. Some of the munitions had exploded inside the barrel of the guns. The Ukrainian center claimed that Russian intelligence services were investigating the issue as a result of corruption.
Russia has increased its munitions production many times over since the war began, according to Russian officials. Crimean governor Sergey Aksyonov said on Wednesday that in his region most weapon production had increased by 2.7 times, and for some systems as much as 10 times.
“All Crimean enterprises of the defense industry are involved in production to the maximum,” said Aksyonov. “Over the past six months alone, the volume of output has increased almost 3.5 times, and the number of jobs provided has increased significantly.”
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