Ukraine’s Military Intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov said on 31 March that the Russian fleet has been accumulating Kalibr cruise missiles, which could be used to strike Ukraine in the near future.
Russian forces intensified missile attacks on Ukraine in March with various types of missiles and drones, causing significant damage to energy and electricity infrastructure. Ukrainian Southern Defense Forces reported on 28 March that the Russian army had deployed a submarine carrying cruise missiles to the Black Sea.
According to Budanov, Russia had approved the decision to use Kh-101 cruise missiles instead of Kalibrs, as they are considered “more effective.”
“In the near future, we will see the Kalibrs again because the number of Kh-101s has significantly decreased,” he said.
According to Ukraine’s intel chief, the Russian military plans to replenish the fleet’s stock of missiles, as it had significantly decreased at that time. “Now they are technically ready to use them. While the fleet was accumulating its missiles, the Russian Aerospace Forces were using the Kh-101s,” Budanov said.
Kalibr is a family of cruise missiles introduced in 1993. They were primarily developed as armament for submarines and ships. There are versions for launch from combat aircraft and ground installations, but Russia launches these missiles by submarines and ships from the Black and Azov Seas waters. Kalibr missiles target ground, maritime, underwater, and surface targets.
The Kh-101 is a strategic air-launched cruise missile of the air-to-ground class. The launch range is about 5000 kilometers, and the warhead can weigh up to 960 kilograms. The carriers are strategic bombers Tu-160 and Tu-95MS. Kh-101 can change the target after launch, what Russian troops have been doing during recent attacks
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