Kanal13

Iskander missile launchers becomes Ukraine's next targets; campaign of mass extermination begins

Duration: 3:03 406 transcript words EN summary

Video summary

According to Andriy Ryzhenko, a retired Ukrainian naval officer and deputy chief of staff, Russian ballistic missiles remain the most significant airborne threat to Ukraine due to their extreme speeds, which often exceed Mach 5. While current defense systems can theoretically intercept these projectiles individually, the sheer volume and regular use of hypersonic weapons like the Zircon and Onyx present a formidable challenge that traditional interception methods struggle to overcome. Consequently, Ukrainian security forces are shifting their strategic focus from attempting mid-air interceptions to targeting the launch sources themselves, aiming to destroy the missile carriers before they can deploy their payloads. The primary target of this new offensive strategy is identified as the Iskander ballistic missile system, which Russia utilizes to strike Ukraine from a safe distance. These mobile launchers operate with extreme mobility, traveling for up to five hours along forest roads to evade satellite detection before quickly deploying and firing from positions 140 to 150 kilometers behind the front line. Once they fire, the units immediately flee their deployment sites, leaving Ukrainian forces with almost no window of opportunity to detect, target, or strike them effectively. This deliberate tactic of staying beyond the range of systems like HIMARS while using tree cover for concealment makes catching these launchers on the move or at their firing positions exceptionally difficult. In addition to targeting mobile launchers, Ukraine is exploring alternative methods to neutralize the threat by destroying individual danger sources before they can launch drones or missiles, potentially utilizing newly received KB munitions that can be dropped from aircraft at considerable distances. However, this approach faces significant obstacles regarding the production facilities themselves, as these missiles are manufactured deep underground where they are not easily accessible to attack. Despite these challenges, the campaign against the Iskander systems and other mobile launchers represents a critical shift in Ukraine's defense posture, aiming to disrupt the supply chain and operational capability of Russian missile forces before they can inflict damage on Ukrainian territory.

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Russian ballistic missiles remain the key airborne threat to Ukraine, according to Andriy Ryzhenko, retired captain first rank and deputy chief of staff of the Ukrainian naval forces from 2004 to 2020, speaking on Radio NV. They have very high speeds, actually exceeding Mach 5. These missiles can be shot down by individual systems. We know the problem they currently face. It's the availability of missiles and hypersonic missiles. There aren't many of them, but they're used regularly. Primarily, these are the Zircon and Onyx. As far as we can see, the security and defense forces are looking for other options. Perhaps not directly intercepting these missiles, ballistic or hypersonic, in midair once they're launched. Perhaps destroying their launch source, that is, the launchers, Ryzhenko said. He added that several days ago, the defense forces had already carried out a demonstration strike on a Bastion missile system in temporarily occupied Crimea. Russia uses these systems to launch Onyx missiles at Ukraine. I think the same will apply, for example, to Iskander ballistic missile carriers after certain technological modifications to the weapons we currently possess are made. Also telling, for example, was the news yesterday that Ukraine has received its own KB, which can also be dropped from our aircraft and operate at a considerable distance. This could also lead to individual sources of danger being destroyed before the launchers launch both drones and missiles, the captain emphasized. The launchers survive by never staying still or coming within reach. Iskander launchers head to their firing positions only when a combat task is set, [music] sometimes moving along forest roads for 5 hours to avoid detection by satellites, then deploying fast, firing, and fleeing. They launch from 140 to 150 km behind the front line, which is why catching one on the march or at its firing position is so hard. The deployment of the Iskander happens very quickly. Then the launch. The Iskander fires and then flees the position, presidential advisor Serhiy Flash Beskrestnov said. The forest road approach and the 140 to 150 km standoff are deliberate. By staying beyond HIMARS range and moving under tree cover to evade satellites, the launcher gives Ukraine almost no window to detect, target, [music] and strike it before it fires and moves on. Ukraine's other option, hitting production, faces its own obstacles. The missiles are made deep underground, where they are not easy to attack, Beskrestnov said. >> [music]