ANALYSIS – According to multiple news sources, based on Ukrainian government statements, Russia launched a massive barrage of missiles and rockets Thursday at targets across Ukraine. The 81-missile bombardment reportedly included a rare volley of six ‘unstoppable' and nuclear-capable, Kinzhal hypersonic missiles.
The Kinzhal “dagger” missiles can travel at five times the speed of sound and carry nuclear warheads.
As part of the attack, Russia also included eight Iranian Shahed suicide drones.
Politico reported that the Ukrainian Armed Forces Chief claimed that in addition to the six Kinzhals, Russia fired: 28 X 101/X-555 missiles, 20 new Kalibr cruise missiles, six X-22 missiles, eight aviation missiles and 13 C-300 air-defense missiles.
Ukrainian sources claim to have shot down 34 cruise missiles and four drones, which meant that the majority of the Russian weapons got through to their targets.
The question is, why use several of the sophisticated and expensive new Kinzhal missiles simply on Ukrainian infrastructure and residential areas?
Part of the rationale for the large volley of missiles and drones of all types is likely an attempt to overwhelm Ukrainian air defenses, recently reinforced by modern systems provided by allied governments.
Russia has used the Kinzhal missile against individual targets in the past, but this was the first time they had been used in a mass attack.
And they seemed successful.
But the Kinzahls were also likely directed at Ukrainian targets Russia definitely wanted to hit without fail, like the well-defended energy sector.
Ukraine continues to call attacks that kill civilians ‘terror' strikes.
In a statement reported by Reuters, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said: “The occupiers can only terrorize civilians. That's all they can do.”
But if the Russians wanted to simply terrorize civilians, they could hit many more soft, non-strategic targets and kill many more civilians.
Undermining Ukrainian civilian morale may be a goal, but the targets were more specific.
In addition to the dozen confirmed deaths at Ukrainian targets in and around the capital of Kyiv and towns and cities including Kharkiv, Odesa and Lviv, the missiles also knocked out the power supply to the Soviet-era Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, Europe's largest nuclear reactor.
The missile strike near the reactor came the day after negotiations with the U.N. on the demilitarization of the plant.
The strikes cut off the plant from the Ukrainian power grid, again prompting warnings of potential catastrophe from the UN's nuclear watch group – the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
Politico reported that “the power station is de-energized and has been put into blackout mode for the sixth time since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion last February.”
Ukraine's state atomic energy firm Enerhoatom said, “There is 10 days' fuel stock left for their operation. The countdown has begun.”
The statement added: “if the off-site power supply to the plant cannot be restored within that time frame, an accident may occur having radiation consequences for the whole world.”
The strike did leave Ukraine partially without water and electricity, according to official Ukrainian sources.
But in addition to ensuring guaranteed hits on the energy sector and the area around the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, the Ukrainian military assesses that Russia is running out of less expensive missiles.
Or this latest barrage could be seen as a reminder and warning from Moscow to NATO that it is willing to risk a Ukrainian nuclear reactor meltdown or that it still has more sophisticated weapons available that can also carry nuclear warheads.
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the positions of American Liberty News.
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Battlefield testing missiles now is why
It sounds like Russia is running out of cheaper missiles to terrorize the Ukrainian civilians. Western intel should be able to determine how much of Russia’s war stocks remain.
Seems like common sense military strategy. If you want to take total control of another country destroy food supply chains, disable utilities, and block transportation. You can do all of that with enough missiles thereby minimizing troop loss on your side. The only way Russia loses is if they run out of munitions before Ukraine is completely defeated. History has shown it is difficult to win a a purely defensive war.
The battlefield is an excellent opportunity to see the impact of the new technology. Hopefully, our woke military has enough real patriots to gather intel toward defense development. We worry about the military leadership put in place by Sleepy Joey from Scranton.
I worry about all the leadership at the cabinet level and the next lower level down. President Biden chose his cabinet on “woke” considerations and not merit. If you read these posts, you should never vote Democrat again.
Gospodin Tsar Putin, like martinet Tsar Paul (look ‘im up!) has lost his effing mind and is regressing into the Soviet castle in the clouds, where and when Mother Russia ruled Eastern Europe and much of Central Asia. Our current administration is NOT the one I would have chosen to tangle with him.
Right , Bidorkovich & Putin dwell in different Dreamlands .
Politico?
Reuters?
does anybody with much of a brain believe any propaganda that they spout?
That’s why exacting fact from fiction isn’t easy . It’s not s’posed to be . but I don’t like it any more today( IT’s WORSE ! ) than my first independent ( Pop was USAF- ww2/korea era) observation & head scratching after reading a headline , that the Korean Armistice was going to be signed . There were many such announcements ( Mom read the paper daily and there was news on the radio ) & all I wanted to know was when Dad was coming home ! I was 5 when he did.
Russians may be at their ‘heavy hitters’ weapons supply limits – it could be that simple . And shouldn’t be a surprise considering how much they’ve thrown into the UKR .