Ukraine’s military said that the Russian Navy has sent more submarines carrying cruise missiles to the Black Sea, raising concerns about missile attacks in the near future.
The Southern Operations Command of the Ukrainian army confirmed that the Russian Navy has sent an additional submarine capable of carrying up to 29 Kalibr cruise missiles to strengthen the country’s Black Sea fleet.
This is a very worrying move for Ukraine. On October 10, on the eve of Russia’s retaliatory attacks on targets across Ukraine, the Russian military sent missile-carrying warships to the Black Sea region.
“This means that the Russian Navy has three mobile launchers ready to fire missiles at Ukrainian targets,” Ukraine’s Southern Operations Command said, warning the Kiev authorities. issued urgent precautions against the risk of large-scale missile raids that will be conducted by Moscow in the near future.
Previously, strategic bombers Tu-160 and Tu-195MS were also deployed by Russia to the Olenya airbase in the Murmansk region. This is a strategic airbase and Russian bombers have repeatedly used this airport for sorties to attack Ukraine.
Recently, Russia has continuously organized raids using cruise missiles and suicide drones against many targets in Ukraine. These attacks have left Kiev with heavy losses of people and property. More than 30% of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure was also destroyed, forcing the Kiev authorities to stop exporting electricity to Europe and urging people to save electricity.
However, according to analysts, missile strikes by the Russian military will not have a great impact on the situation in Ukraine. Instead, it was merely a temporary response in retaliation for the Crimean Bridge attack that Moscow accused Kiev of being behind. Analysts also share the view that Russia’s missile arsenal at the moment is limited and so it is difficult for Moscow to maintain the intensity of intense attacks in the near future.
Regarding the power of the Kalibr missiles equipped by Russian submarines, this is a land attack cruise missile (LACM) and an improved version of the 3M-14E “Club” LACM. It has an estimated range of 1,500 to 2,000 km and is currently the main weapon of the Russian Navy, ensuring its ground attack capability. The Kalibr carries a 450kg warhead, which can be armed with both conventional and nuclear weapons. The rocket is 6.2 meters long and has a turbofan engine.
