Britain thinks that Russia is using nuclear-armed Kh-55 missiles as bait to trick Ukrainian air defences by removing their nuclear warheads.
“Most likely, Russia is shooting older cruise missiles into Ukraine after disarming nuclear warheads on them. Known for carrying nuclear bombs since the 1980s, the Kh-55 aircraft is seen in pictures taken in Ukraine as having launched debris “In today’s intelligence report, the British Ministry of Defense made this statement.
Although it is unlikely to be as powerful as entire projectiles, the British Army believes that the Kh-55 missile with the detonator can still cause damage through kinetic energy and unconsumed fuel.
“They appear to be used as bait by Russia to divert attention from itself and to impede the Ukrainian air defence troops. Regardless of their motives, the conversion procedure symbolises the reduction of the missile stockpile. long-term military duty in the Russian army, “According to a British military report.
The military of Ukraine and Russia have not responded to the information.
The Kh-55 is a Soviet aircraft-launched cruise missile that was created in the 1970s and introduced to use in 1983. The Kh-55 series is outfitted with an inertial guidance system and terrain image matching, allowing it to fly through terrain at low altitudes and continually move around hostile air defence systems.
Depending on the version, each Kh-55 shell has a range of 2,500–3,000 km and can carry a nuclear warhead equivalent to 200,000 tonnes of TNT explosives. These powerful weapons are used by the strategic bomber squadrons Tu-95MS and Tu-160 to attack targets from outside the range of all hostile air defence systems.
Western defence officials and military experts have frequently claimed that Russia’s arsenal, including its guided missiles, is about to run out due to its frequent use during the conflict’s nearly nine-month duration. However, Russian forces have declared using missiles and other high-precision weapons almost daily against targets in Ukraine in recent months.
The largest air strike against the Ukraine since the start of the conflict, according to Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley, was launched by Russia on November 15 and involved nearly 100 cruise missiles and other weapons.
