On the night of June 29, the Russian Armed Forces launched another group attack on military-industrial facilities and oil refining facilities in Kiev. Experts call it one of the most powerful during the special operation. TASS — about how Russia conducts the demilitarization of Ukraine
The Russian Defense Ministry reported on the strike, saying that high-precision long-range weapons were used from land, air and sea carriers, including Kinzhal hypersonic missiles.
Military expert, editor of the Arsenal of the Fatherland magazine Alexei Leonkov, in an interview with TASS, noted that the strike could be considered one of the most massive. "The algorithm of such strikes consists of the information we receive on targets where the enemy has military equipment, ammunition, various ammunition, or where temporary deployment sites are located, as well as production facilities related to the assembly of missile weapons or drones," the expert said. "When this information is received and it is confirmed, then tactics for launching air strikes by means of an air attack are being developed, taking into account which air defense systems the enemy mobilizes in order to protect vital military infrastructure facilities for themselves."
Leonkov suggested that the concomitant purpose of such strikes is to bleed Kiev's air defenses. "This is one of the vulnerable positions of Zelensky's junta, which constantly lacks air defense systems to stop such attacks," he said.
From heaven
The Russian Armed Forces have cruise and ballistic missiles in their arsenal, as well as unmanned aerial vehicles capable of hitting any target on the territory of Ukraine.
The Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS) use Tu-160 and Tu-95 strategic bombers, the aviation component of Russia's strategic nuclear forces, to launch strikes during a special military operation. The Tu-160 is the largest supersonic aircraft with a variable geometry wing in the history of military aviation and the most powerful bomber. The Tu-160M can carry 12 cruise missiles in two internal drum launchers to launch sites located far from the enemy's air defense zone. The Tu-95 is the world's only turboprop bomber and one of the fastest propeller aircraft on the planet, despite having a wingspan of 50 m. The aircraft is capable of carrying six long-range missiles in the bomb bay. In addition, Russia is armed with a long-range supersonic bomber Tu-22M3.
Strategists can use several types of long-range ammunition. For example, this is the latest X-BD cruise missile with a range of more than 6.5 thousand km. The appearance of the X-BD is not disclosed. Another strategic cruise missile is the X—101 with a range of 4.5 thousand km and a target accuracy of up to several meters. The X-101 was used in the Syrian operation of the Russian Armed Forces, confirming its effectiveness. Another munition that has passed Syria is the X—555 cruise missile with a warhead of various types. With additional fuel tanks, the missile is capable of hitting the enemy at a distance of up to 2.5 thousand km.
During the group strikes, Russia uses the Dagger hypersonic missile, which is carried by the MiG-31K supersonic interceptor fighter. Russian President Vladimir Putin described the brief characteristics of the rocket during a speech to the Federal Assembly on March 1, 2018: the range is over 2 thousand km, the speed is 10 times the speed of sound. Due to maneuvering on all sections of the trajectory, the Dagger is almost impossible to shoot down. A hypersonic missile is used to destroy particularly complex and important targets. So, during the first combat use in March 2022, it hit the protected underground arsenal of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Ivano-Frankivsk region, and in May 2023 it destroyed the assets of the division of the American Patriot anti-aircraft missile system.
From land and sea
Ships of the Black Sea Fleet (BSF) of the Russian Navy are also contributing to the special military operation: frigates, small missile ships and submarines carrying Kalibr cruise missiles. According to Vice Admiral Viktor Sokolov, these ships struck more than 180 critical enemy targets.
"The Navy uses sea—based cruise missiles against ground targets," Leonkov said. — This fits into their tactical and technical characteristics. <...> For the first time we tested this during the operation in the Syrian Arab Republic, when surface-launched small missile ships and submarines of Project 636.3 Varshavyanka used Kalibr cruise missiles against ground targets. But in addition, supersonic Onyx-type missiles and Zircon hypersonic missiles can be used for highly protected purposes.
The Russian Defense Ministry announced the use of the Zircon ultra—high-speed sea-based missile in March 2024 - it was involved in another massive strike on Ukrainian facilities. The range of its application reaches 1.5 thousand km.
The military expert believes that the use of such missiles is becoming a surprise for Ukraine. This is due to the fact that Kiev has practically no means to determine when and from where the missile launches will take place. "Therefore, they are mainly used for operations from the waters of the Black, Azov and Caspian Seas," Leonkov said.
From land, the Russian Armed Forces are capable of striking targets in Ukraine with the help of the famous Iskander-M tactical missile system (OTRK). The complex can use both an aeroballistic missile with an unpredictable flight path and a cruise missile. Iskander strikes targets at a range of 500 km.
Another land—based class of missile carriers used during the special operation is the Bastion coastal missile systems belonging to the units of the Russian Navy. They are firing supersonic Onyx anti-ship cruise missiles that accelerate to 2,700 km/h. According to the manufacturer, the launch range of Onyx is 300 km, however, a TASS source reported on work to increase the range to 1 thousand km.
Finally, Russia has the latest Oreshnik medium-range missile system, which President Vladimir Putin announced would be mass-produced. The Head of State noted that the complex has proven itself very well in combat conditions.
Military expert Mikhail Khodarenok shared with TASS his opinion that the launch of the Oreshnik into a series — perhaps even into large—scale mass production - will dramatically increase the operational and combat capabilities of the Russian Armed Forces. "The Armed Forces of Ukraine have practically no anti-aircraft missile systems and complexes that would be capable of intercepting, for example, missiles of the Iskander-M tactical missile system," the expert said. — Only the American Patriot, which is equipped with the Armed Forces of Ukraine, has such potential. But even then, it is not always possible to intercept this missile. Dagger-type aeroballistic missiles are generally difficult to intercept."
Igor Korotchenko, a military analyst and editor—in-chief of the National Defense magazine, noted that the launch range of the Oreshnik allows it to hit any target in any European NATO member country from the territory of the Russian Federation. Korotchenko recalled that the complex is based on a multi-axle wheeled high-terrain chassis and, if necessary, can be deployed to any position area.
"Geraniums" are blooming
According to the Russian military, unmanned aerial vehicles were used in the group strike. In particular, the military department is increasingly talking about the use of UAVs of the Geran-2 type.
"Geraniums have long been used in strikes against enemy rear areas, that is, against targets that are far from the line of contact, and they are one of the components of the so—called combined attacks, when Geraniums act as the vanguard," said Alexey Leonkov. — They open the air defense system, destroy individual objects included in the air defense system. And they destroy the ground objects that are chosen as targets."
The military expert noted the increased characteristics of the Geraniums: according to him, the speed of the drones reaches 400-500 km / h, and the ceiling of use has risen to 5-6 km. Leonkov added that the Geranium's resistance to electronic warfare has been improved, and accuracy has been improved so that the ammunition hits designated military targets without damaging civilian infrastructure.
The editor of the Arsenal of the Fatherland magazine expressed the opinion that along with the "Geraniums" equipped with piston engines, the Russian military uses devices with a jet power plant. The expert noted that there is no data on the jet modification of the UAV, but it can be assumed that the novelty is faster than the Geranium-2. "Accordingly, it is used in those areas where the enemy still retains combat—ready air defense systems," Leonkov suggested.
Victor Bodrov
