New Russian missile strike tactics successfully evade defenses: ISW

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: News website
28 Apr 2023 21:49

A report by the Institute of the Study of War (ISW) shows that Russia is utilizing new tactics to surpass Ukrainian aerial detection systems hitting targets in Nikolaev.

The Admiral Gorshkov vessel launches a hypersonic Zircon cruise missile in a test at the Barents Sea, retrieved from a video released by the Russian Defense Ministry, 28 May 2022. (Reuters)

The Russian military has integrated new tactics to surpass Ukrainian missile detection systems, a report by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) revealed.

The US-based think-tank highlighted the 4 recent "Kalibr" missile attacks by Russian forces on Ukrainian positions in the city of Nikolaev, which killed one militant and injured 23 others according to Reuters.

Ukraine’s Operational Command South which is part of the Ukrainian Armed Forces says Russia employed tactics including the utilization of “location features and trajectory changes,” to successfully target the Ukrainian position and avoid detection.

The Russian Ministry of Defense said on Telegram that "a concentrated strike” originating from the Black Sea, successfully hit “all assigned objects."

ISW claims the attacks might bring forth an upcoming operation to disable Ukrainian energy infrastructure.

"Russian forces maintain the capability to renew their missile campaign if they desire, and Russian forces may employ these tactics in order to conserve their stocks of high-precision missiles in the event of a renewed missile campaign," ISW underlined.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky admitted that Russian forces targeted Mykolaiv and claimed that the attack had "damaged dozens of ordinary houses and two educational institutions," during a nightly address on Thursday.

Air defense supplies facing critical conditions

Ukraine supposedly boosted its air defense capabilities last week when it announced that Patriot surface-to-air missile systems arrived for Kiev to utilize in the conflict.

However, the Pentagon leaks show that Ukrainian air defense capabilities are under deep pressure as supplies of Soviet-produced S-300 and Buk-M1 ammunition, which make up 89% of Ukraine’s anti-air capabilities, run low.

While Western-produced systems such as the Patriot batteries are experiencing low stockpiles.

Patriot systems include a radar set, an engagement control station, and missile launchers designed to bring down incoming aerial threats such as missiles and jets.

Kiev is expected to immediately utilize the recently arriving military equipment in an attempt to protect its military positions and infrastructure from incoming attacks, says Ukraine-based Kyiv Independent.

Glide bombs have also been put into use by Moscow in recent weeks, which are bombs with added-on wings and navigation systems that allow them to be glided, as suggested by the name, towards ground targets, producing "devastating" effects.