Practically every night, Ukrainian anti-aircraft defenses must be thoroughly used to repel missiles and drones crossing the sky from Russia. The success rate is usually exceeding 80%, and on numerous occasions, it’s close to 100%, which not only brings relief to Kyiv but also means an enormous waste of money for Russia. However, the destructive power of any projectile that manages to overcome enemy defenses is enormous, affecting civilian populations, military objectives, or key energy infrastructure.
Moscow’s objectives seem to vary – in recent weeks, the Kremlin’s obsession has been to target refineries to collapse Ukraine’s energy supply, an obsession reciprocated in Ukraine’s counterattacks. On other occasions, the priority objective appears to be the civilian population, aiming to instill terror, and, of course, military positions.
In recent weeks, there’s been a noticeable change in Russian strategy, with the number of air attacks decreasing but becoming more targeted, grouping kamikaze drones in larger waves to hinder their detection, as verified by British intelligence services. Sometimes, Moscow uses up to a dozen different projectiles in its bombings, demonstrating that Russia hasn’t lost its arms capacity thanks to allies like Iran and possibly North Korea.
For instance, the Ukraine Air Forces conducted an enemy weapons count last Thursday, finding that Russia had launched up to 14 projectiles of various types the previous night. Kyiv managed to knock down 80 of these weapons, although some still impacted locations like Kharkiv, Odesa, Sumy, or even the Kyiv capital. One projectile fell in the province of Kherson, causing six injuries, including two minors.
These are some of the missiles and drones released that night by Russia, exemplifying what happens on many other days in Ukraine’s skies:
Missile and Drone Varieties
Cruise Missiles
KH-101 and KH-55SM missiles are strategic weapons launched from airplanes, designed for long-range attacks with great precision. Both can fly long distances at low altitudes and carry conventional or nuclear warheads of up to 450 kilograms. Kalibr missiles (3M-14) and ISKANDER-K are other types of projectiles launched from maritime and land platforms, respectively. The Iskander has a lower range (about 500 kilometers) but features an advanced navigation system and is widely used to attack energy facilities.
Ballistic Missiles
The Iskander-M, a short-range tactical ballistic missile, is highly maneuverable and designed to evade anti-missile defense systems. It reaches hypersonic speeds greater than Mach 5 and can carry conventional high-explosive or nuclear warheads. The KN-23, developed by North Korea, is a ballistic missile with similar characteristics to the Iskander-M but has a slightly higher range, up to 700 kilometers, exemplifying the close collaboration between Russia and North Korea.
The Shahed-136 and Shahed-131 drones, of Iranian origin and widely used by Russia, are designed to saturate enemy defenses and destroy strategic objectives. On this occasion, Moscow’s supply of these unmanned aerial vehicles seems inexhaustible, although the number of pieces demolished by Ukrainian defenses is very high. Other types of weapons used by Vladimir Putin’s troops include the Kinzhal hypersonic missile (KH-47m2) and cruise missiles of various origins.