x 50 cruise missile

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Russia revives mothballed X-50 missile in ‘urgent need’ to replace depleted long-range missile stocks – Air Force

Russia is reviving old projects, like plans to produce X-50 missiles, as well as increasing the production of UAVs for use in reconnaissance and attacks .

Read also: Air Force reveals Russia’s new tactics in missile, drone attacks against Ukraine

“Previously, the X-50 project was impractical for Russia because they had a better missile – the X-101,” Ihnat said.

“They urgently need to replenish the supply of long-range high-precision weapons, and the X-50 is a missile like the X-101 or the Kalibr that can fly far and reach any point in Ukraine,” he said.

Read also: Ukrainian military expert explains threat from gliding air bombs, and how to counter it

Russians actively discuss on social media the production of “cruise missiles” that will have greater range of destruction, Ihnat said.

“As for how effective this will be, we’ll see,” he added.

Ihnat reported on April 4 that Russia drops up to 20 planning bombs daily along the front line, using Su-35 and Su-34 planes that are beyond the range of Ukrainian air defense systems. Guided bombs, he said, can hit targets at distances of up to 70 km.

Ukraine cannot effectively counter these bombs, which require Patriot systems and Western fighters to counter.

We’re bringing the voice of Ukraine to the world. Support us with a one-time donation, or become a Patron !

Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine

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• Missiles of the World

Kh-55 (AS-15)

The Kh-55 (NATO: AS-15 “Kent) is an air-launched cruise missile developed by the Soviet Union starting in 1971. Originally designed as a strategic system capable of delivering a nuclear warhead 2,500 km, the missile has given rise to several variants. These include the Kh-55SM, an extended range version; the Kh-555, a conventional version; and the Kh-65SE, a conventional version designed for export.

Kh-55 (AS-15 “Kent”) at a Glance

Kh-55 Development

The Kh-55SM is an extended range version. To achieve the extra range, conformal fuel tanks are mounted on both sides of the fuselage. It also has a more powerful engine, producing 450 kg of thrust. See below for the main differences.

• Slightly larger body diameter due to the fuel tanks, 0.77 m.
• Increased launch weight, 1,500 kg.
• Increased range, 3,000 km.

The Kh-555 is a conventional variant of the Kh-55. The nuclear warhead has been replaced by a 400 kg unitary HE, penetration HE, or submunitions warhead. Other notable changes include the following:

• Larger conformal fuel tanks (compared to the Kh-55SM).
• Reduced radar cross-section.
• Improved accuracy.
• Increased range, 3,500 km.

Kh-65SE and Kh-SD

Similarities with iran’s soumar.

In 2000, reports suggest that Ukraine exported six Kh-55SM missiles to China, and in 2001, exported another six to Iran. Two Russian nationals, with the help of at least one Ukrainian official, created a series of front companies to hide and facilitate the transaction. 6 This is considered one the worst cases of missile proliferation in modern times given the advanced capabilities of the Kh-55 series.

On March 8, 2015, Iran unveiled the Soumar ground-launched cruise missile . The origin of the Soumar appears to be from the nuclear capable Russian Kh-55. In 2005, Ukraine acknowledged that 12 Kh-55’s (without nuclear warheads) were illegally sold to Iran in 2001 through a black market counterfeit operation.

• “Kh-55 (AS-15 ‘Kent’/Kh-555/RKV-500/Kh-65)” in IHS Jane’s Weapons: Strategic 2015-2016, ed. James C. O’Halloran (United Kingdom: IHS, 2015), 184-86.
• Carlo Kopp, “Soviet/Russian Cruise Missiles” Air Power Australia. April 2012, http://www.ausairpower.net/APA-Rus-Cruise-Missiles.html#mozTocId152650.

• Missiles database

Other languages:

• Description
• Composition
• Characteristics

Classification:

Similar in definition and basing:.

Experimental multi-purpose guided missile JAGM

X-66 aircraft missile

TAURUS KEPD 350 long-range cruise missile

Aircraft guided missile X-59MK (X-59MK2)

K-10S cruise missile (K-10 "Kometa-10" complex)

COP-1 "Comet" cruise missile

X-20 cruise missile (K-20 complex)

CEB-2 cruise missile (K-16 complex)

Airborne ballistic missile XAGM-48A Skybolt

NSM anti-ship missile

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Russian Cruise Missiles Were Made Just Months Ago Despite Sanctions

Weapons investigators in Kyiv found that at least one Russian Kh-101 cruise missile used in widespread attacks there on Nov. 23 had been made no earlier than October.

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By John Ismay

Some of the cruise missiles that Russia launched at Ukraine’s civilian infrastructure in late November were manufactured months after the West imposed sanctions intended to deprive Moscow of the components needed to make those munitions, according to a weapons research group.

Experts examined remnants of Kh-101 cruise missiles found in Kyiv, the capital, after an attack on Nov. 23 that knocked out electricity and shut down water systems in large areas of the country. One of the missiles was made this summer, and another was completed after September, markings on the weapons show, according to a report released by the investigators on Monday .

That Russia has continued to make advanced guided missiles like the Kh-101 suggests that it has found ways to acquire semiconductors and other matériel despite the sanctions or that it had significant stockpiles of the components before the war began, one of the researchers said.

The findings are among the most recent by Conflict Armament Research , an independent group based in Britain that identifies and tracks weapons and ammunition used in wars. A small team of its researchers arrived in Kyiv just before the attack at the invitation of the Ukrainian security service.

In four previous research trips to Kyiv since the invasion, the investigators found that almost all of the advanced Russian military gear they examined — like encrypted radios and laser range finders — was built with Western semiconductors.

The investigators were unable to determine whether the Kh-101 remnants they studied were from missiles that reached their targets and exploded or were intercepted in flight and shot down.

The Kh-101 missiles were marked with a 13-digit numerical sequence. The investigators said they believe that the first three digits represent the factory where the missile was made, followed by another three-digit code indicating which of two known versions of the Kh-101 it is and two digits indicating when it was manufactured. A final string of five numbers is believed to denote the missile’s production batch and serial number.

Piotr Butowski, a Polish journalist who has written extensively about Russia’s warplanes and military munitions, said the group’s numerical analysis matched up with his research.

“The first three digits are always ‘315’ — this is the production facility code,” Mr. Butowski said in an email. “Kh-101 missiles are developed and manufactured by the Raduga company in Dubna near Moscow.”

In an interview before the report was released, a U.S. defense intelligence analyst said that Mr. Butowski’s analysis was consistent with the government’s understanding of how Russian missile producers — including those that make the Kh-101 — mark their weapons. The official, who was not authorized to speak publicly, said Russia was generally believed to be experiencing ammunition stockpile problems and may be using newer munitions alongside those that are much older.

The analyst said that reports from Russia indicate that the government has ordered employees at munition plants to work additional hours in an effort to produce more ordnance, and that it is clear that Russia is now firing fewer long-range weapons like cruise missiles at a smaller number of targets in Ukraine.

Pentagon officials say Russia has fired thousands of long-range weapons like cruise missiles as well as short- and medium-range ballistic missiles at targets in Ukraine since the war began.

Whether Russia has depleted its inventory of older cruise missiles is unclear. But militaries often use older munitions first in combat because they typically make up a majority of a nation’s stockpile.

On Nov. 23, the same day as the cruise missile attack on Kyiv, Lloyd J. Austin III, the secretary of defense, told reporters that Russia’s supply of precision-guided weapons had been “significantly reduced” and that it would be more difficult for Russia to rapidly produce them “because of the trade restrictions they have on microchips and other types of things.”

But Damien Spleeters, who led Conflict Armament Research’s investigation, said it would be difficult to say that the Russians are running short on weapons.

“Those claims have been made since April,” he said, “so we’re just pointing to the fact that these cruise missiles being made so recently may be a symptom of that, but it’s not a certainty.”

John Ismay is a Pentagon correspondent in the Washington bureau and a former Navy explosive ordnance disposal officer. More about John Ismay

Our Coverage of the War in Ukraine

News and Analysis

President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine has signed into law three measures aimed at replenishing the ranks of his country’s depleted army, including lowering the draft age to 25 .

With continued American aid to Ukraine stalled and against the looming prospect of a second Trump presidency, NATO officials are looking to take more control of directing military support from Ukraine’s allies  — a role that the United States has played for the past two years.

Exploding drones hit an oil refinery and munitions factory far to the east of Moscow, in what Ukrainian media and military experts said was among the longest-range strikes with Ukrainian drones so far in the war .

Conditional Support: Ukraine wants a formal invitation to join NATO, but NATO has no appetite for taking on a new member  that, because of the alliance’s covenant of collective security, would draw it into the biggest land war in Europe since 1945.

“Shell Hunger”: A desperate shortage of munitions in Ukraine  is warping tactics and the types of weapons employed. What few munitions remain are often mismatched with battlefield needs as the country’s forces prepare for an expected Russian offensive this summer.

Turning to Marketing: Ukraine’s troop-starved brigades have started their own recruitment campaigns  to fill ranks depleted in the war with Russia.

How We Verify Our Reporting

Our team of visual journalists analyzes satellite images, photographs , videos and radio transmissions  to independently confirm troop movements and other details.

We monitor and authenticate reports on social media, corroborating these with eyewitness accounts and interviews. Read more about our reporting efforts .

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• Cruise Missile Basics

What is a cruise missile?

Cruise missiles, although similar to ballistic missiles in some regards, provide an alternate means to deliver a lethal payload rapidly and accurately to a target. Cruise missiles differ from ballistic missiles in that they fly towards their target at lower altitudes, remaining within the Earth’s atmosphere throughout their trajectory. Cruise missiles are defined as “an unmanned self-propelled guided vehicle that sustains flight through aerodynamic lift for most of its flight path and whose primary mission is to place an ordnance or special payload on a target.” [1] Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and unmanned control-guided helicopters or aircraft can be included in this definition [2] , but will not be discussed on this page.

The cruise missile has its beginnings in World War I, when the U.S. Army developed the Kettering Bug, an unmanned aerial bomb designed to strike targets beyond the range of artillery and too dangerous for piloted aircraft. However, the Kettering Bug was never used in combat. [3] Instead, the modern cruise missile originates more from the V-1 Flying Bomb used by the Germany in the last months of World War II. [4]

Launch Platforms

Cruise missiles are capable of being launched from multiple ground, air, sea and submarine platforms. Both fighter and long-range bomber aircraft are capable of carrying and launching cruise missiles. [5] On the ground, cruise missiles are most commonly launched by road-mobile systems due to the inherent advantages of mobility, but they can also be launched from fixed platforms. [6]

Russian warships in the Caspian Sea launch Kalibr cruise missiles towards targets inside Syria.

At sea, various surface ships and submarines can launch cruise missiles. Submarines are capable of launching while surfaced or submerged using torpedo fixtures or vertical launch tubes. [7] In April 2010 Kontsern-Morinformsistema-Agat, a Russian company, began marketing a version of the Russian Kalibr cruise missile housed in and capable of being launched from a standard shipping container. [8] This would allow any vehicle capable of carrying a standard shipping container to become a discreet platform from which to launch cruise missiles. [9]

Propulsion and Flight

Cruise missiles utilize jet engines as their primary method of propulsion. Most cruise missiles are subsonic and use Turbofan and Turbojet engines. While less common, supersonic and hypersonic cruise missiles utilize Ramjet and Scramjet engines. [10] Some also use rocket motor propulsion as a booster in the first phase of flight [11]  or to accelerate to supersonic speeds in the terminal phase. [12]

Cruise missiles can fly to their targets at varying altitudes as long as they remain within the atmosphere. The trajectory of most remains close to the Earth’s surface, sometimes skimming just meters above the ground. Their low flight path makes it much harder for most radar and sensor systems to detect the missile, unless the radar or sensor system is airborne and directed towards the ground. [13] Some cruise missiles will fly only at high altitudes and dive sharply down once they reach their target. Flying at high altitude can extend the range of the missile because it’s more fuel-efficient than flying at lower altitudes. However, this also makes the missile more susceptible to missile defense systems since today’s radars and sensors are typically positioned to detect and track high altitude threats. [14] Cruise missiles can also mix their flight trajectory between high and low altitude in order to get the benefits of both. In this instance, cruise missiles will typically fly at a high altitude early in their flight to help extend their range, but as they approach their target, or missile defenses, they will fly down to a lower sea skimming/terrain hugging altitude to help it evade detection and defenses. [15]

Flight test of Pakistan’s Ra’ad cruise missile.

Cruise missiles can use multiple guidance methods in order to accurately place their ordinance on the desired target and avoid missile defense systems. One of the first methods used by cruise missiles was inertial guidance, which is still used today and allows the missile to fly along a flight path programmed prior to launch. [16] Another guidance method is terrain contour matching (TERCOM), which compares a terrain map to the current terrain the missile is flying over to ensure the missile is flying on the correct path. [17] Some use GPS systems, which require connection to either GPS or GLONASS satellite system, but can help ensure the missile follows the correct flight path and strikes the final target using specific coordinates with a high degree of accuracy. [18]

Other guidance methods are primarily used in the terminal phase of flight to increase accuracy. One is a laser guided system which uses a sensor to detect its target painted by a laser, however this can be unreliable because dust and smoke can interfere with the laser or the missile may not always be able to see the laser or painted target. [19] Another terminal guidance method is TV guidance, in which an operator uses a camera in the nose of the missile to visually identify and manually guide the missile to the target in its final phase. This method also gives the operator the option to abort the strike in the final phase if an anomaly is detected. [20]  A radar seeker is also used in the nose of some missiles to identify and/or keep the missile on target in the terminal phase. These radar seekers use either passive radar, which detect radar emissions of their target, or active radar, which emit their own radar to detect their target. [21] Infrared (IR) guidance – directing the missile towards heat emitting objects, such as engines [22] – may also be used by cruise missiles in the terminal phase. [23] However, because of its simplicity, IR guidance cannot differentiate between friendly, adversarial, or extraneous IR signals in a crowded battlefield, and is usually used in conjunction with other guidance systems. [24] The last guidance system used by cruise missiles is Digital Scene Matching Area Correlation (DSMAC), which uses a camera in the missile to find the desired target and match it to a stored image using an image correlator. [25]

Cruise missiles are typically armed with conventional or nuclear warheads, but can also be equipped with chemical or biological warheads. [26] The warhead weight and yield can vary widely, depending on the specific cruise missile and its mission.

[1] “Cruise Missiles.” Federation of American Scientists. http://fas.org/nuke/intro/cm/

[3] “Kettering Bug.” UAVGLOBAL. http://www.uavglobal.com/kettering-bug/ ; “War Machines: Cruise Missile.” National Geographic. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AD8Kr0f1tEY

[4] Hickman, Kennedy. “World War II: V-1 Flying Bomb.” About Education. http://militaryhistory.about.com/od/artillerysiegeweapons/p/v1.htm

[5] N.R.P. “Explained: How Cruise Missiles Work!” Defencyclopedia. https://defencyclopedia.com/2014/08/01/explained-how-cruise-missiles-work/

[8] Stott, Michael. “Deadly New Russian Weapon Hides in Shipping Container.” Reuters. http://www.reuters.com/article/us-russia-weapon-idUSTRE63P2XB20100426

[9] Lewis, Jeffrey, Nikolai Sokov. “Sokov on Russian Cruise Missiles.” Arms Control Wonk. http://www.armscontrolwonk.com/archive/207801/sokov-on-russian-cruise-missiles/

[11] Brain, Marshall. “How Cruise Missiles Work.” How Stuff Works. http://science.howstuffworks.com/cruise-missile.htm

[12] N.R.P. “Explained: How Cruise Missiles Work!” Defencyclopedia. https://defencyclopedia.com/2014/08/01/explained-how-cruise-missiles-work/

[22] Kopp, Carlo. “Heat-Seeking Missile Guidance.” Air Power Australia. http://ausairpower.net/TE-IR-Guidance.html

[23] N.R.P. “Explained: How Cruise Missiles Work!” Defencyclopedia. https://defencyclopedia.com/2014/08/01/explained-how-cruise-missiles-work/

[25] Brain, Marshall. “How Cruise Missiles Work.” How Stuff Works. http://science.howstuffworks.com/cruise-missile.htm

[26] “Ballistic and Cruise Missile Threat.” Federation of American Scientists.   http://fas.org/irp/threat/missile/naic/part02.htm ; Norris, Robert S., Hans M. Kristensen. “Nuclear Cruise Missiles.” Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. http://bos.sagepub.com/content/63/6/60.full

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Russia to possibly relaunch Kh-50 cruise missile project from June

Defense aviation news april 2023.

According to a tweet posted by Oriannalyla on April 13, Russia plans to start production of Kh-50 cruise missiles from June, Ukrainian Deputy Chief of the General Staff stated. Hence this may indicate the possibility of increased missile strikes against Ukraine this fall.

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As reported by Takshi Tiwari in EurasianTimes , the Ukrainian Air Force spokesperson Yuriy Ihnat said on national television earlier this week that Russia wants to produce “long-range cruise missiles” and will use “anything at their disposal” to attack Ukraine. This has essentially brought back into focus Russia’s long-standing Kh-50 missile project.

Ihnat informed the media that Russia was looking to revive old projects, like plans to produce X-50 (Kh-50) missiles, besides increasing the production of UAVs for surveillance missions and conducting attacks, Takshi Tiwari reports. “Previously, the X-50 project was impractical for Russia because they had a better missile: the X-101,” Ihnat said, adding that “They urgently need to replenish the supply of long-range high-precision weapons, and the X-50 is a missile like the X-101 or the Kalibr that can fly far and reach any point in Ukraine”. Russia has extensively used the Kh-55 and the Kh-101 air-launched cruise missiles (ALCM) to strike Ukrainian targets.

Deputy Chief of the Main Operational Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Oleksii Hromov, said Russia intends to mass-produce Kh-50 cruise missiles by fall this year: “It should be noted that, according to available data, in June this year, the Russian Federation plans to start mass production of strategic air-launched cruise missiles of the Kh-50 type, which will allow the Kremlin to intensify missile strikes on the territory of our country in the fall.”

According to Ukrainian media Defence Express, the Kh-50 can be called a “simplified version” of the Kh-101 missiles, which, in theory, can be produced in larger volumes with less serious resource consumption. “However, there is no reliable data that would allow us to say for sure how many missiles of the X-50 type the Russians will be able to produce in a month,” Defense Express adds.

The Kh-101 is a Russian air-launched cruise missile designed for strategic bombers, with a 400 kg warhead, and a range of 2,000-5,500 km.

The Army Has a Plan to Kill Drones: Frickin' Laser Beams

And missiles and microwaves.

This news dropped at the same time as newly released plans explained that the Army was re-allocating human resources away from its special ops units. The intention is to instead stand up a larger force of short-range air defense with the goal of protecting soldiers from attacking drones, mortar rounds and cruise missiles. The urgency for such defenses was reinforced after an Iranian-designed kamikaze drone killed three U.S. soldiers in Jordan on January 27.

The Army’s short-range air defense (SHORAD) units—which the services is increasing to at least nine battalions—come in two flavors. Indirect Fire Protection Capability battalions protect static military bases and semi-permanent command posts using Stinger missiles and automated Land Phalanx gatling cannons. Divisional M-SHORAD battalions, on the other hand, defend frontline forces on the move using Avenger Humvee and Stryker vehicles also armed with Stingers.

But not only is the tried-and-true Stinger growing long in the tooth—it’s out of production. And a missile designed to shoot down manned aircraft costing millions of dollars is too expensive ( over $120,000 for each refurbished expired missile) to cost-efficiently tackle drones costing just hundreds or thousands of dollars each, and which may be fielded in large numbers. Indeed, in Ukraine, both sides are expending over 10,000 kamikaze drones per month .

That’s why the Army doesn’t want to rely only on gun and missile-based defenses. Instead, it has several alternatives , like the laser-armed DE-Stryker and new drone-hunting Coyote Counter-UAS batteries equipped with interceptor drones.

The new drone threat

The affordable small civilian drones that rose to prominence in the early 2010s were rapidly weaponized and employed by insurgents in Iraq and Syria—a then novel, but not game-changing threat. But subsequent fighting in Ukraine has revealed that state actors could procure such low-cost quadcopters drones (and modestly more expensive fixed-wing military ones) in huge quantities and swiftly evolve them into surrogates for precision artillery, anti-tank missiles, and even long-distance strategic cruise missiles at a relatively cheap price.

Videos show reusable grenade-dropping drones and single-use kamikaze drones hunting down individual soldiers in trenches, devastating armored vehicles in the open, and even roaming around inside warehouses to kill vehicles concealed within.

Larger drones costing in the tens of thousands of dollars have flown long distances to assail capital cities and remote airbases, occasionally destroying fighter jets , strategic bombers, and cargo planes on the ground worth tens of millions of dollars each. And such tallies don’t reflect what is possibly the most lethal use of drones: spotting targets for precision targeting by artillery, mortars, and tanks.

Ukraine’s drone warfare innovations were soon replicated by Russia, and it was clear that similar tactics could be effective against the U.S. military. Furthermore, the most commonly used types of drones in Ukraine were from China and Iran—unsurprising, as both emerged as major producers of lower-cost drones in the 2010s.

Bringing out the big (laser) guns

Lasers weapons have their upsides: precision, unparalleled speed, and limited risk of collateral damage. But they also have their downsides: very high energy requirements and reduced performance in obscuring weather .

But, crucially, lasers have a trivial cost per shot, which encourages their use against small, cheap drones. That matters when—as videos recorded in Ukraine have shown—the same vehicle or building is attacked in succession by many kamikaze drones (each costing just a few hundred dollars) to guarantee a kill.

That’s the logic behind the Army’s eight-wheeled Stryker variant called DE M-SHORAD, which complements the service’s existing Stryker M-SHORADS armed with Stingers, Hellfire missiles, and 30-millimeter cannons . The laser-armed DE M-SHORADS might be tasked with defending brigade and divisional command posts.

Currently, the service is testing a platoon of four Stryker A1s with a ‘Guardian’ turret by Raytheon/Kord Systems—one packing a 50 kilowatt laser sufficient for timely disabling of drones, helicopters , artillery rockets, and mortar rounds. Generally, laser-armed Strykers have performed excellently against drones, but encountered difficulties swatting faster artillery rockets and mortar bombs.

The Army also plans to test a buggy-style 4x4 Infantry Squad Vehicle armed with a 20-kilowatt laser for killing smaller Group 1 or 2-class drones.

Drone swarms a problem? Microwave’em!

Lasers may solve the cost-per-shot dilemma of blasting cheap drones, but defense analysts point out that they can only effectively engage one drone at a time. In future wars, however, drones enhanced with autonomous AI and mass-produce on an industrial scale may attack simultaneously in cooperative swarms of large numbers to overwhelm defenses with too many targets.

So, in 2023, the Army awarded $66 million to Epirus for the delivery of a platoon of four prototype high-powered microwave-weapons (HPMs) based on the company’s Leonidas counter-drone system. Leonidas uses a low-temperature gallium-nitride antenna combined with AI-enhanced smart power management system to project electromagnetic pulses that can affect a broad arc—a single pulse can disable multiple nearby drones. And despite the area of effect, Leonidas can also discriminate and exclude friendly systems from their pulses.

While electronic warfare can also have a broad area of effect against drones, it may be ineffective against drones with strong autonomous features that remove their dependency on satellite navigation and remote control signals. An EMP pulse doesn’t care about autonomy, as it’s directly disabling the drone’s electrical systems. Of course, that effect could also be potent against manned systems.

Offsetting those big advantages is Leonidas’s shorter range—a few hundred meters, which is much shorter than than the ranges of lasers —meaning its most effective against kamikaze or grenade-dropping drones that must get close to their targets, and less effective against surveillance or missile-armed drones. Thus, laser- and microwave-based defenses may complement rather than compete with each other.

The Army will test trailer-based HPM systems this year, though there’s also a pod for mounting on an 8x8 Stryker vehicle, which means the APC may be fielded in three different air defense variants.

Beyond Stinger: towards new cruise missile defenses

Army IFPC battalions must also tackle one more threat that their mobile counterparts can’t handle: downing cruise missiles . While Stinger and Land Phalanx have some anti-cruise missile capability, neither is ideal, due to limited range.

Upgrading a laser to rapidly cause major physical damage requires a notable leap in output. That the Stryker’s 50-kilowatt weapon can burn drones out of the sky is notable, but the Army is also testing a ‘Valkyrie’ truck armed with a 300-kilowatt High Energy Laser powerful enough to burn through the skins of cruise missile before they reach their target. If testing this year is successful, the Army may procure Valkyrie in 2025 for its IFPC battalions. An even more powerful 500-kilowatt air defense laser is also being developed by the Army.

But the cruise missile threat is deadly and costly enough that it does also warrant the expenditure of counter-missiles. Back in 2019, Congress forced the Army to test-adopt two Israeli-designed Iron Dome batteries for cruise missile defense. But the Army was never enthused by them, and leased those systems back to Israel after the outbreak of war in Gaza last October. It’s now pursuing an “Increment 2” alternate solution based on the Enduring Shield launcher by Leidos/Dynetics, armed with heat-seeking Sidewinder missiles and seen as more capable against faster cruise missiles.

The service began receiving the first of 16 launchers in an Enduring Shield battery for testing in December of 2023—15 months behind schedule. Each launcher is truck-mountable, and holds up to eighteen heat-seeking AIM-9X Sidewinders (though only 60 Sidewinders are being delivered for testing). It’s also compatible with laser-guided AGM-114L Hellfire missiles and (possibly) Iron Dome’s low-cost Tamir interceptor missile.

If the Army’s plans come to fruition, these launchers may deploy alongside new sensor and guidance systems: Leidos’s secrecy-veiled ALPS 360-degree passive persistent surveillance sensor, Lockheed’s RIG-360 remote guidance datalink, and improved Sentinel AN/MPQ-64A4 radars (one for every four-launcher platoon). The Sentinel A4 features a new jam-resistant gallium-nitride AESA antenna with greater resolution, new capability to detect and determine the origin point of mortar and rocket artillery attacks, and a 75% range boost.

At the same time, the Army has allocated $204 million in 2025 for Raytheon and Lockheed to develop proposed successors to the Stinger missile for M-SHORAD units called the Next-Generation Short Range Interceptor, with a production decision scheduled by 2027. The Army specifies that NGSRI should remain compatible with existing Stinger launchers while flying faster to target, being more resilient against countermeasures, and remaining effective against drones with low heat signatures.

Under the same budget heading, the Army is funding the development of proximity air-bursting XM1223 multi-purpose shells to enhance the lethality of the 30-millimeter guns on air defense Strykers.

The diversity of new systems being developed and fielded reflects the breadth of air defense threats posed by drones and cruise missiles, which may approach at speeds ranging from 60 to 4,000 miles per hour and at altitudes ranging from near ground level to tens of thousands of feet high. While the optimal mix of systems is being determined, effective integrated air defenses (IADS) are multi-layered and incorporate diverse defeat mechanisms so that no single counter-counter-measure on an incoming drone or missile guarantees success.

Sébastien Roblin has written on the technical, historical, and political aspects of international security and conflict for publications including 19FortyFive, The National Interest, MSNBC, Forbes.com, Inside Unmanned Systems and War is Boring. He holds a Master’s degree from Georgetown University and served with the Peace Corps in China. You can follow his articles on Twitter . 

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November 17, 2022 Russia-Ukraine news

By Kathleen Magramo , Eliza Mackintosh , Jack Guy, Aditi Sangal and Adrienne Vogt , CNN

Russia launched "up to 18 cruise missiles" at Ukraine on Thursday morning, Ukraine says

From CNN's Tim Lister and Julia Kesaieva

Four KH-101 cruise missiles and five Iranian-made drones were shot down amid a wave of missile attacks by Russia on Thursday, the Ukrainian Air Force says.

"Russia again struck with strategic aircraft Tu-95M from the area of Volgodonsk of Rostov region," the Air Force Command said. "In total, nine missile-carrying bombers launched up to 18 cruise missiles of Kh-101/Kh-555 type."

The targets included an enterprise in Dnipropetrovsk region and a gas production facility, it noted. The Kremlin has stepped up attacks on Ukraine's critical energy infrastructure in the last several weeks.

The four cruise missiles brought down were destroyed by Air Command "Center" and all five Iranian-made Shahed UAVs that attacked Ukraine from the territory of Belarus were destroyed in the central region, it added.

In the south, the Air Force said, air defenses destroyed two Kh-59 guided missiles.

In recent weeks, Ukrainian air defenses have destroyed about two-thirds of incoming missiles, and a higher proportion of Iranian drones.

Dutch court says Moscow had control of Russian-backed separatists when MH17 was shot down

A Dutch court said Moscow had control of the Russian-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine when Malaysian Airlines Flight 17 was shot down in 2014, killing all 298 people onboard.

Hendrik Steenhuis, the presiding judge, is reading the coutr's verdict in the trial of three Russians and one Ukrainian separatist who are accused of mass murder for their roles in the downing of the jet.

The court also found that a Russian-made Buk missile was used to bring down MH17.

Dutch court finds MH17 flight was shot down by Russian-made missile

A Dutch court has found that a Russian-made Buk missile was used to bring down Malaysian Airlines Flight 17 over eastern Ukraine in 2014, killing all 298 people onboard.

A judge at the court is reading its verdict in the trial of three Russians and one Ukrainian separatist who are accused of mass murder for their roles in the downing of the jet.

Gas production facilities in eastern Ukraine "destroyed" by "massive shelling," says state-owned energy firm

From CNN’s Yulia Kesaieva and Jo Shelley

Several gas production facilities in eastern Ukraine were destroyed and others damaged after “massive shelling” on Thursday, according to Ukraine’s state-owned energy firm Naftogaz.

“We are currently aware of several destroyed facilities, other ones have suffered damage of varying degrees,” said Naftogaz chairman Oleksii Chernyshov in a statement .

Experts were on site to assess the consequences of the attack, he added.

Some context: Russian shelling and missile strikes continued to target civilian infrastructure in various parts of Ukraine overnight, including gas and electricity facilities, according to Ukrainian officials.

Air raid sirens sounded across the country, with strikes reported in the city of Dnipro, in central Ukraine; Izium, in the northern Kharkiv region; Vilniansk in the southeastern Zaporizhzhia region; and the southern Odesa region.

At least four dead in Zaporizhzhia region after overnight strike, says Ukrainian official

A Russian missile strike on Vilniansk in Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region killed at least four people overnight, Oleksandr Starukh, head of the regional administration, said on Telegram.

Starukh said three missiles had hit Vilniansk, sharing photos of a residential building which had been destroyed. 

“Currently, four victims have been found under the rubble. Their identities are being established,” he said.

Pictures posted by Ukraine’s State Emergency Service showed dozens of rescuers working at the scene.

Air raid sirens sounded across the country, with strikes reported in the city of Dnipro, in central Ukraine; Izium, in the northern Kharkiv region; and the southern Odesa region.

Russia's renewed barrage comes after Moscow's forces fired around 100 missiles on at least a dozen cities and districts Tuesday, according to Ukrainian officials and a CNN analysis of the strikes.

The attacks appeared to be the largest since October 10, when Russia stepped up its campaign to destroy electricity, water and gas infrastructure across Ukraine. 

World leaders welcome extension of Black Sea grain deal

From CNN’s Jo Shelley in London

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres was among a number of world leaders that welcomed an agreement to extend the Black Sea grain deal on Thursday, after Moscow had threatened to pull out sparking concerns for global food supplies.

European Council President Charles Michel  said the agreement was “good news for a world that badly needs access to grain and fertilisers.”

The grain deal was brokered in July by the United Nations and Turkey to allow Ukraine to resume the export of grain and other agricultural products after Russia began a full-scale assault on the country in February. It was due to expire on November 19.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan  said on Twitter that the agreement on the extension had been reached after Turkey hosted discussions between the UN, Russia and Ukraine.

Erdogan said that more than 11 million tonnes of grain and other products had been shipped from Ukrainian ports so far under the deal.

The 120-day extension is less than the year-long extension  Ukraine says it asked for .

All evidence indicates missile strike was launched by Ukrainian air defenses, says Polish official

From CNN’s Antonia Mortensen

All of the evidence collected by NATO, the United States and Poland indicates that a missile which killed two people in Poland was fired by Ukrainian forces, according to a Polish official.

The evidence "indicates that we are dealing with an S-300 missile launched by Ukrainian air defenses," said Jacek Severa, the head of Poland's National Security Bureau, in an interview with Polish RMF FM radio on Thursday.

Two farmers died Tuesday when a missile landed outside the rural eastern Polish village of Przewodow, about 4 miles (6.4 kilometers) west of the Ukrainian border.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has insisted the missile was not Ukrainian, and said that Ukrainian experts must be allowed access to the site of the explosion and review all data available to its allies. 

When asked why Zelensky denies it was a Ukrainian missile, Severa replied: “President Zelensky represents a country that is at war. The war that had the hardest time in terms of attacks and the use of air assault."

"It is normal that under such conditions certain hypotheses that seem obvious from the point of view of the defense of the state also seem obvious to the head of that state," he added.

Verdict due in murder trial over Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 shot down over Ukraine

From CNN's Sophie Tanno

Three Russians and a Ukrainian accused of mass murder and tried in absentia for their alleged involvement in the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 are set to receive their verdict from a Dutch court Thursday. 

The Boeing 777 was on its way from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur on July 17, 2014, when it was shot out of the sky over territory held by pro-Russian rebels in eastern Ukraine.

All 298 people on board were killed in the incident, including 15 crew members and 283 passengers from 17 countries.  

The downing of MH17 happened in the early phase of a conflict between pro-Russia separatists and Ukrainian forces.

An international investigation found that the plane was hit by a Russian Buk missile fired from a village in eastern Ukraine that was held at the time by pro-Russian rebels.

Prosecutors say the launcher belonged to Russia’s 53rd anti-aircraft missile brigade and was returned to Russian territory the day after the strike. Moscow has repeatedly denied any responsibility for the incident.

The trial marks the first time that independent judgement will be made on the 2014 incident. 

Three Russians, Igor Girkin, Sergey Dubinskiy and Oleg Pulatov, were named as suspects, along with Ukrainian separatist Leonid Kharchenko.

According to investigators, Girkin is a former colonel of Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB), Dubinskiy was employed by Russia’s military intelligence agency GRU and Pulatov was a former soldier of the Russian special forces, Spetsnaz-GRU.

Ukraine’s Kharchenko had no military background, but is believed to have led a combat unit in Donetsk in July 2014.

While the suspects are not accused of firing the missile at MH17, they are “just as punishable as the person who committed the crime,” according to Dutch prosecutor Fred Westerbeke.

The men were tried in absentia at Schiphol Judicial Complex in Badhoevedorp, the Netherlands, and are unlikely to serve time if convicted.

Pulatov was the only suspect to be represented by lawyers and has maintained his innocence throughout. 

Prosecutors have demanded life sentences for the suspects on charges of murder and causing an aircraft to crash. They have presented thousands of pages of evidence to support their case. 

Ukraine will likely be granted access to missile blast site in Poland, says Polish policy advisor 

From CNN’s Antonia Mortensen and Eve Brennan

Ukraine is likely to be granted access to the site in Przewodow, Poland, near the Ukrainian border, where a missile killed two people on Tuesday, according to a Polish official.

"A Polish-American investigating team is working at the site of the rocket's impact," Jakub Kumoch, top foreign policy advisor to Polish President Andrzej Duda, told Polish broadcaster TVN 24 in an interview on Thursday. If Poland and the United States agree, then the Ukrainians may soon receive access, he said.

The leaders of Poland and NATO have said the missile was likely fired by Ukrainian air defense forces attempting to thwart a barrage of Russian strikes, but that Moscow bore "ultimate responsibility" for having started the war. 

On Wednesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who has insisted the missile was not Ukrainian, said that Ukrainian experts must be allowed access to the site of the explosion and review all data available to its allies. 

"The Ukrainian position is very transparent: we want to establish all the details, every fact. That is why we need our experts to join the work of the international investigation and to get access to all the data available to our partners and to the site of the explosion," Zelensky said in his daily video address.

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June 5, 2022 Russia-Ukraine news

By Helen Regan , Andrew Raine , Sana Noor Haq, Lauren Said-Moorhouse and Amir Vera , CNN

Ukrainian military says Russia launched 5 cruise missiles toward Kyiv

From CNN's Julia Presniakova, Victoria Butenko, Yulia Kesaieva and Bex Wright

Russia “launched 5 X-22 cruise missiles from the Caspian Sea in the direction of Kyiv” at 6 a.m. local time on Sunday, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said.

One missile was destroyed by Ukraine’s air defense unit, and the rest hit “infrastructure facilities in the north of the Ukrainian capital,” the military said.

Earlier, Vadym Denysenko, adviser to the Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, said one military target and one civilian target were hit.

Several of the missiles hit the Darnytsia Carriage Repair Plant, injuring one railway worker, according to Oleksandr Kamyshin, CEO of the Ukrainian state railway enterprise Ukrzaliznytsia. Passenger trains were not delayed by the attacks, he said.

Kamyshin denied the Russian reports that his company was housing any military equipment, and he invited journalists to visit the plant and verify that.

“I officially declare that there is no military equipment on the plant's territory. This plant repaired cargo carriages, including those we use for grain export,” Kamyshin said.

“Their real target is the economy of Ukraine and the civilian population,” he said. “They also want to block our opportunity to export Ukrainian products to the West.”

Ukraine shot down four missiles aimed at Mykolaiv in southern Ukraine, officials say

From CNN's Julia Presniakova, Taras Zadorozhnyy and Bex Wright

Ukrainian air defenses shot down four Russian missiles aimed at Mykolaiv in southern Ukraine, an update from Operational Command South said on Sunday.

“During a night attack from the sea by missiles across the south of Ukraine, two missiles were shot down by forces of our divisions over the sea, on approach to the Mykolaiv region,” the statement said.

At dawn, the Mykolaiv region was “again subjected to a massive missile strike using aircraft” and two missiles were shot down by air defenses, the statement said.

“From the direction of the Black Sea and from the territory of Russia, the Black Sea coast of Mykolaiv region, ports and granaries were attacked by air-based cruise missiles.”

“Such audacious actions again reveal the real intentions of the terrorist country — pseudo-care of humanitarian corridors and unblocking ports — this is just an excuse to gain access to Ukraine's maritime infrastructure,” the statement said.

Russia also tried to regain lost positions in two areas of Mykolaiv but “suffered heavy losses and retreated,” a separate update from the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said on Sunday.

In nearby Kherson, the military said there has been no mobile or internet connection for six days, and the Russian troops controlling the city have opened a branch of a party called ‘United Russia’ where they “collect data from the city’s residents.”

Heavy fighting is also taking place in the Beryslav district, and many houses, roads and bridges have been destroyed, the military said.

Pope Francis appeals to government leaders on Ukraine: "Please do not bring humanity to ruin"

From CNN's Sharon Braithwaite

Pope Francis renewed his appeal to government leaders on Sunday to seek a diplomatic solution to end the war in Ukraine.  

"While the fury of death and destruction continues and conflicting positions spread, fueling an escalation that is increasingly dangerous for everyone, I renew an appeal to national leaders: Please do not bring humanity to ruin, do not bring humanity to ruin," the Pope said after his Regina Coeli prayer on Pentecost, appearing at a window of the papal apartments overlooking St. Peter's Square.  

"Carry out real negotiations, concrete talks for a ceasefire and for a sustainable solution. Listen to the desperate cry of the people who are suffering - we see it every day in the media - respect human life, stop the macabre destruction of cities and villages everywhere," he added.  

On Saturday, the Pontiff told a child from Ukraine that he wants to visit Ukraine and will be discussing a possible trip with Ukrainian officials.   

The Pope made an appeal on Wednesday to lift the blockade of wheat exports from Ukraine.  

CNN's Nicola Ruotolo and Radina Gigova contributed to this report.

Russia says it destroyed tanks in Kyiv

From CNN's Sharon Braithwaite, Yulia Kesaieva and Bex Wright

Russian missiles destroyed T-72 tanks and other armored vehicles near Kyiv that had been supplied by eastern European countries to Ukraine, Russia's defense ministry said Sunday. 

The ministry added that Russian Aerospace Forces used high-precision long-range air-launched missiles in the strikes on the capital's outskirts, hitting buildings of a car repair enterprise.

Background: The Russian announcement comes after multiple explosions rocked Kyiv on Sunday morning, in the first strikes on the capital in weeks. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said one person has been hospitalized.

The Ukrainian government confirmed that a military target was hit by a Russian missile in Kyiv on Sunday.

"One military object was hit and one civilian. No casualties, one person was hospitalized," Vadym Denysenko, adviser to the Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine said.

This post has been updated.

Putin warns Russia will strike new targets if long-range missiles are supplied to Ukraine

From CNN's Sharon Braithwaite  

Russian President Vladimir Putin warned on Sunday that Moscow would strike new targets if the US supplied long-range missiles to Ukraine, according to Russian state media.   

Delivering new arms to Kyiv only aims to “drag out the armed conflict for as long as possible,” Putin said in an interview to Rossiya-1 TV channel, Russian state media TASS reported.

In the case of deliveries of long-range missiles to Kyiv, Russia will draw "appropriate conclusions" and strike those “facilities” that it has not yet targeted, he said.  

"If they are supplied, we will draw appropriate conclusions from this and use our own weapons, of which we have enough, in order to strike at those facilities we are not targeting yet," Putin said commenting on the situation regarding the supply of American multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS) to Ukraine.  

Supplying American MLRS to Ukraine essentially does not change anything, since Kyiv had similar weapons before, including similar range missiles, so they are simply making up for their losses, Putin said, according to TASS.  

US President Joe Biden said Tuesday the US is providing  Ukraine  "more advanced rocket systems and munitions" as its war with Russia grinds on.   

Ukrainian official says Russian general given until June 10 to capture Severodonetsk or key highway

From CNN's Taras Zadorozhnyy, Julia Presniakova and Bex Wright

Russian forces are “advancing” in several areas north of the city of Sloviansk in eastern Ukraine after they “completed regrouping of troops,” the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said on Sunday.

On Saturday, the Sloviansk city military administration said hundreds of people were fleeing Sloviansk every day, with evacuation numbers almost doubling this week. A missile strike that killed three people on Tuesday “pushed the citizens to leave,” the official said.

In nearby Lyman, Russia is also “advancing in the direction of Sviatohirsk, trying to push our troops to the right bank of the Siverskyi Donets River,” the military said.

Russian troops continue to pummel areas of eastern Ukraine. In the past 24 hours, eight civilians were killed and 11 were injured in the Donetsk region after Russian forces shelled 15 areas, an update from the regional military-civilian administrations said on Sunday.

Russia also conducted two air strikes in Donetsk, including one overnight in the key city of Kramatorsk, which caused “serious damage to two enterprises in the city,” but did not result in casualties, Oleksandr Honcharenko, Kramatorsk Mayor said.

In areas around Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia, the Russians are “firing on the front line of defense and the rear areas of our troops, in order to restrain our units and prevent their regrouping,” the military said.

And in Luhansk, Russian forces fired on five areas, including Severodonetsk and Lysychansk, with artillery and multiple rocket launchers. Air strikes were also carried out on four areas, regional officials said.

One person was also killed and two others were injured after shelling in Hirske and Lysychansk, which also damaged 18 houses and a police department building. In Severodonetsk, a building on the Azot chemical factory complex was damaged by Russian artillery shelling, regional officials said, with no casualties reported.

Russia’s units are “focusing on offensive operations to surround our troops” in Severodonetsk and Lysychansk, and to “block the main logistics routes,” the military said.

The Russian general Aleksandr Dvornikov “has received the task by June 10 of either completely capturing Severodonetsk, or completely cutting off the Lysychansk-Bakhmut highway and taking it under control,” Serhiy Hayday, head of Luhansk regional military administration said. “Therefore, a huge amount of forces, everything they had, all reserves — everything is used to accomplish these two tasks.”

Near Severodonetsk in the city of Lysychansk, a humanitarian aid center was “completely destroyed” by Russian shelling on Sunday, Hayday added.

In the northeast, in the Kharkiv region, the Russians used phosphorus munitions in the Cherkaski Tyshky area northeast of Kharkiv, the military said.

One person was also injured after Russian shelling of Chuguev to the southeast of Kharkiv, and several other areas came under fire overnight, regional officials said.

“The enemy does not stop firing on the positions of our troops near the city of Kharkiv,” the military statement said.

In Sumy in the northeast, Russia fired artillery shells at infrastructure facilities in two areas, the military said, and the Chernihiv region in the north was also shelled.

This post has been updated with additional information about casualties from regional officials.

Russian missile shot down south of Kyiv, says Ukrainian official

From CNN's Yulia Kesaieva and Bex Wright

A Russian missile was downed on Sunday by Ukraine’s air defense system above the Obukhiv area south of Kyiv, the Kyiv region military administration said on Sunday.

“According to the preliminary information, there are no casualties or destruction,” the statement said.

Some background: Multiple explosions also hit the capital on Sunday morning local time. One person was hospitalized.

“In reference to this morning's explosions in the capital's Darnytskyi   and Dniprovskyi districts, there are currently no casualties from missile strikes on infrastructure. One victim was hospitalized,” Klitschko said on Telegram.

He added that the city’s services are still operating in the affected areas. 

Russia “continues to launch missile and air strikes on military and civilian infrastructure in our country, in particular in Kyiv,” a separate update the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said on Sunday.

CNN's Taras Zadorozhnyy, Josh Pennington and Sophie Jeong contributed reporting to this post.

Ukrainian counterattacks in Severodonetsk are likely “blunting” Russian momentum: UK Ministry of Defense

From CNN's Bex Wright

Ukrainian counterattacks over the past 24 hours in Severodonetsk are likely “blunting” Russian momentum, the UK Ministry of Defense said in an intelligence update on Sunday.

“Ukrainian forces have counterattacked in the contested city of Severodonetsk in eastern Ukraine, likely blunting the operational momentum Russian forces previously gained through concentrating combat units and firepower,” the ministry said.

The ministry said the Russian troops include personnel mobilized from the reserve of the Russian-led separatist forces of the self-declared Luhansk People’s Republic.

“These troops are poorly equipped and trained, and lack heavy equipment in comparison to regular Russian units," it said.

“The use of proxy infantry forces for urban clearance operations is a Russian tactic previously observed in Syria, where Russia employed V Corps of the Syrian Army to assault urban areas,” the ministry said.  “This approach likely indicates a desire to limit casualties suffered by regular Russian forces.”

Russia flies cruise missile “critically low” over a Ukrainian nuclear power plant, operator says

From CNN's Taras Zadorozhnyy and Bex Wright

Russia flew a cruise missile “critically low” over the South Ukrainian Nuclear Power Plant on Sunday, Ukraine’s state-run nuclear power station operator Energoatom said.

“Russia committed another act of nuclear terrorism — at 5:30 a.m. a Russian cruise missile, similar to the 'Caliber' missile, flew critically low over the South Ukrainian Nuclear Power Plant,” Energoatom said. “Probably, this missile was fired in the direction of Kyiv, where explosions were heard this morning.”

Energoatom said that Russian forces “still do not understand that even the smallest fragment of a missile that can hit a working power unit can cause a nuclear catastrophe and radiation leak.”

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Russia’s Kh-50 cruise missiles mass production plans suggest increased strikes on Ukraine this fall – GenStaff

Russia plans to mass-produce Kh-50 cruise missiles, which may indicate the possibility of intensifying missile strikes against Ukraine this fall. Oleksii Hromov, Deputy Chief of the Main Operational Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, said it during a briefing on 13 April, RBC-Ukraine reports .

“It should be noted that, according to available data, in June this year, the Russian Federation plans to start mass production of strategic air-launched cruise missiles of the Kh-50 type, which will allow the Kremlin to intensify missile strikes on the territory of our country in the fall,” Hromov said.

According to Ukrainian media outlet Defence Express , the Kh-50 can be called a “simplified version” of the Kh-101 missiles, which, in theory, can be produced in larger volumes with less serious resource consumption. “However, there is no reliable data that would allow us to say for sure how many missiles of the X-50 type the Ruscists (Russians, – Ed.) will be able to produce in a month,” DE adds.

The Kh-101 is a Russian air-launched cruise missile designed for strategic bombers, with a 400 kg warhead, and a range of 2,000-5,500 km.

“ This is indeed a new threat to Ukraine. Until now, it was believed that the project of the racist X-50 missiles existed mainly ‘on paper,’ and even the Kremlin propagandists rarely mentioned this ‘Wunderwaffe’, ” the Defence Express wrote .

Russian sources claim that the Kh-50 missile has the following specifications:

• Length: 6 meters
• Weight: 1,600 kg
• Range: up to 1,500 km
• Cruise speed: 700 km/h
• Maximum speed: up to 950 km/h
• Universal compatibility: designed to be used with all types of Russian strategic bombers – Tu-22M3, Tu-95MS, and Tu-160
• How many air-launched Kh-101 missiles Russia is able to produce: analysis
• Hear and destroy: Ukrainian artificial intelligence project Zvook helps shoot down Russian missiles
• Russians used Kh-101 cruise missiles produced in the last quarter of 2022 to attack Ukraine’s power grid on 29 November
• US parts found in Russian Kh-101 precision missile used to shell Ukrainian cities
• Russia runs out of high-precision missiles – Ukraine’s Intel
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Russia Deploys 'Top Secret' KH-50 Cruise Missile in Attack on Ukrainian Weapons Depot

• Defensemirror.com Bureau
• 09:32 AM, August 25, 2023

Russia for the first time has used its “top secret” KH-50 stealth cruise missile in a successful attack on an ammunition depot in Ukraine’s Zaporozhye region.

As per Ukrainian monitoring channels, an explosion at the military facility occurred at about 23:00 last night.

Very little is known about KH-50’s specifications since the project is shrouded in mystery, except that its latest product is a stealthy medium-range subsonic cruise missile. The KH-50 comes through as a miniaturized KH-101 – both missiles feature low-observable shaping, composite airframe for radar signature reduction, INS navigation with SATNAV/TERCOM (terrain comparison fixing, and Optical/IR target recognition.

In 2018, Russia modified a Tu-22M3 strategic bomber to be able to fire them.

While Russia has not revealed many details of the KH-50, Janes claims the Kh-50 is about six meters long and weighs around 1,600 kg. It’s powered by an OMKB izdeliye 37-04 (or TRDD-50B) turbofan engine.

The missile is estimated to have a range of over 1,500 km, a cruise speed of 700 kph, with a max speed of 950 kph.

The missile is estimated to feature a warhead weighing 450 kg.

The missile’s airframe features a flattened cross-section and faceted sides. The shape combines the requirements of low radar cross-section and the most efficient use of the heavy bomber’s weapon bay capacity when loaded on a six-round rotating launcher.

KH-50 is honed for low-altitude flight and features a defensive suite comprising EW and flare heat traps. Not only can the missile evade radar detection, but it can also protect itself from air defense and air-to-air missiles equipped with RF and IIR seekers.

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Guerre en Ukraine : Paris va fournir à Kiev des centaines de blindés et des missiles, selon Sébastien Lecornu

Le ministre des armées français explique dans « La Tribune » que des blindés de transports de troupes anciens encore opérationnels seront livrés à l’Ukraine, ainsi que des missiles Aster.

• Le point sur la situation vendredi 29 mars à 20 heures
• Trois centrales électriques ukrainiennes visées par des tirs de drones et des missiles russes lors d’une « attaque massive ». Cette dernière a visé en particulier des sites de production d’énergie dans les oblasts de Dnipropetrovsk, de Poltava et de Tcherkassy, a annoncé le ministre de l’énergie ukrainien, German Galushchenko, vendredi. Une attaque de drone a tué un civil dans l’oblast de Dnipropetrovsk, selon les autorités locales.
• Une attaque de drone a fait un mort et deux blessés à Belgorod en s’écrasant sur un immeuble d’habitation, a annoncé vendredi  sur Telegram  Viatcheslav Gladkov, le gouverneur de l’oblast, frontalier de l’Ukraine.
• Kiev dit avoir abattu 84 des 99 missiles et drones russes lancés pendant la nuit. « Quatre-vingt-quatre cibles aériennes ont été détruites : 58  [drones]  Shahed et 26 missiles » , ont détaillé les forces aériennes ukrainiennes dans un communiqué.
• Des coupures d’électricité d’urgence ont été instaurées vendredi dans trois régions d’Ukraine   à la suite des frappes massives russes  qui ont visé pendant la nuit le réseau énergétique du pays, a annoncé l’opérateur national Ukrenergo.
• « L’Ukraine a besoin de plus de systèmes de défense antiaérienne », dit le premier ministre ukrainien Denys Chmyhal a déclaré, vendredi matin  sur Telegram , que « la Russie  [avait]  continué ses attaques barbares  contre le système énergétique ukrainien  ».
• Des fragments de drone ont été trouvés jeudi soir en Roumanie, à proximité de la frontière avec l’Ukraine, après une intense campagne de bombardements russes, a déclaré vendredi le ministère de la défense roumain .
• Anne Hidalgo en visite à Kiev jeudi, où elle a rencontré Vitali Klitschko. Le maire de Kiev a remis à la maire de Paris une médaille d’honneur pour sa contribution à la défense de la ville, en la remerciant notamment de l’aide humanitaire envoyée de Paris, dont des générateurs électriques.

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Un mort lors de frappes nocturnes russes dans la région de Lviv

Une frappe russe a tué au moins une personne pendant la nuit de samedi à dimanche dans la région ukrainienne de Lviv (Ouest), a fait savoir le gouverneur régional, Maksym Kozytsky. « Cette nuit, l’ennemi a attaqué à l’aide de missiles de croisière la même infrastructure essentielle (…) qui avait été visée précédemment, les 24 et 29 mars. Un bâtiment administratif a été endommagé » , a écrit M. Kozytsky sur Telegram . « Un homme est mort à cause de l’attaque » , a-t-il ajouté.

Paris va fournir à Kiev des centaines de blindés et des missiles

La France va livrer à l’Ukraine des « centaines » de blindés, anciens mais « encore fonctionnels » , et des missiles Aster, dans le cadre d’une nouvelle série d’aides à Kiev pour sa guerre contre la Russie, selon le ministre des armées, Sébastien Lecornu.

« Pour tenir une ligne de front aussi grande, l’armée ukrainienne a besoin, par exemple, de nos véhicules de l’avant blindé (VAB) : c’est absolument clé pour la mobilité des troupes » , a expliqué le ministre dans un entretien à La Tribune publiée samedi soir. « Ce matériel ancien, encore opérationnel, va pouvoir directement profiter à l’Ukraine en quantité importante. On peut en parler en centaines pour 2024 et début 2025 » , a-t-il ajouté.

Les blindés de transport de troupes VAB, plus de 40 ans au compteur, sont en train d’être remplacés dans l’armée de terre française par les blindés de nouvelle génération Griffon.

Répondant aux demandes pressantes de Kiev de renforcer ses capacités de défense antiaérienne, Paris va aussi « débloquer un nouveau lot de missiles Aster 30 » pour le dispositif SAMP/T MAMBA, l’équivalent du Patriot américain. « Nous développons aussi des munitions téléopérées dans des délais très rapides, pour les livrer aux Ukrainiens dès cet été » , a ajouté le ministre.

Mardi, M. Lecornu avait dit qu’il n’excluait pas de recourir à des réquisitions ou d’imposer aux industriels d’accorder la priorité aux besoins militaires par rapport aux besoins civils, pour accélérer la production. Paris demande à l’industrie de défense française de produire davantage et plus rapidement pour répondre aux besoins de son armée et assurer dans la durée son soutien à l’Ukraine.

« Le missilier européen MBDA nous doit des livraisons rapides. Ce vendredi, les décrets ont été publiés sur le pouvoir de police du ministre des armées en matière d’obligation de stocks, de priorisation des contrats, et même de réquisition » , a insisté M. Lecornu, samedi. « J’ai demandé à la direction générale de l’armement (DGA) de me faire des propositions de mise en œuvre de ces mesures pour accélérer la production du missile Aster » , a-t-il noté.

« La DGA va faire une première injonction à MBDA afin qu’il constitue des stocks suffisants de composants. Pour être clair, j’exige la constitution de stocks pour produire des munitions. »

Le ministre a fait valoir que, outre l’Ukraine, la France aussi avait besoin des missiles pour lutter en mer Rouge contre les attaques des rebelles yéménites houthistes. Ces derniers, soutenus par l’Iran, ont commencé en novembre une campagne de frappes à l’aide de drones et de missiles contre des navires en mer Rouge, une région essentielle pour le commerce mondial.

« Par ailleurs, sur l’exportation, j’ai constaté que l’industrie française avait perdu quelques contrats dans des pays de l’Europe de l’Est. Or, pour vendre des armes à l’exportation, il faut être bon sur les technologies, sur les prix, dans la diplomatie, mais il faut désormais être bon aussi sur les délais de livraison » , a martelé M. Lecornu.

Lire aussi | Sébastien Lecornu, ministre des armées, envisage des « réquisitions » pour le secteur de l’armement dans le contexte des guerres en Ukraine et à Gaza

En ukraine, de nouvelles coupures d’électricité dans quatre régions.

Les autorités ukrainiennes ont instauré, samedi, de nouvelles coupures électriques d’urgence dans au moins quatre régions du pays, au lendemain d’une vague de bombardements russes massifs ayant endommagé des infrastructures énergétiques du pays.

Le fournisseur d’énergie ukrainien DTEK a déclaré dans des communiqués séparés que ces coupures, menées sur ordre du distributeur ukrainien Ukrenergo, concernaient les régions de Dnipropetrovsk (Centre-Sud) et de Donetsk (Est). DTEK ne précise pas le nombre d’usagers concernés par ces restrictions.

Dans les régions de Soumy (Nord-Est) et de Poltava (Centre), de telles mesures d’urgence ont aussi été à nouveau décidées, ont ajouté les autorités régionales.

Vendredi, la Russie a mené de nouvelles frappes contre le réseau électrique ukrainien, endommageant gravement au moins trois centrales thermiques et poussant les autorités ukrainiennes à instaurer des coupures d’énergie d’urgence dans sept régions.

Le ministère de l’énergie ukrainien avait annoncé, samedi matin, que ces coupures avaient été mises en œuvre, précisant que des restrictions d’énergie restaient néanmoins en vigueur pour 120 000 usagers dans la région de Kharkiv (Est) à cause de « dommages considérables » subis par les infrastructures locales.

Des missiles russes frappent les régions de Kherson et de Mykolaïv

L’armée russe a déployé « différents types de missiles » pour attaquer les oblasts de Kherson et de Mykolaiv, touchant « un terrain découvert et endommageant un bâtiment » , selon les dernières informations des forces de défense du sud de l’Ukraine .

Des avions tactiques ont tiré des missiles air-sol pour attaquer des infrastructures dans l’oblast de Mykolaïv . « Un missile a été intercepté, mais un autre a endommagé un bâtiment désaffecté » , précisent-elles.

Plus tôt dans la journée, l’armée ukrainienne a abattu un missile russe Kh-59 dans le district de Dnipro. Aucun civil n’a été touché par ces différentes frappes, a ajouté la défense ukrainienne.

Les services de renseignement britanniques estiment que la Russie a très peu progressé sur le front ces dernières semaines

Les services de renseignement du ministère de la défense britannique ont déclaré, samedi, que la Russie avait très peu progressé sur le front au cours des dernières semaines, mais qu’elle conservait un avantage quantitatif et était en mesure d’absorber les pertes.

Sur X , le renseignement britannique précise que l’armée russe continue d’avancer progressivement à l’ouest de la ville d’Avdiïvka. « Fin mars 2024, les Russes ont probablement pris le contrôle de deux villages – Tonenke et Orlivka – et continuent d’en contester d’autres dans la région » , ajoutent-ils.

La Russie « recrute probablement environ 30 000 personnes supplémentaires par mois et peut très probablement continuer à absorber les pertes et à poursuivre les attaques visant à épuiser les forces ukrainiennes » , précisent-ils.

Deux civils tués lors d’une attaque russe à Krasnohorivka

Des bombardements de l’armée russe ont fait deux morts à Krasnohorivka, dans l’oblast de Donetsk, a annoncé samedi à la mi-journée le bureau du procureur général ukrainien.

« Un homme de 73 ans qui se trouvait dans l’une des maisons touchées a été mortellement atteint. Sa fille de 50 ans, blessée dans la cour, a été transportée dans un établissement médical » , fait savoir le ministère public, annonçant que l’autre personne tuée « est une femme de 70 ans » .

Plus de 530 enfants sont morts en Ukraine depuis le début de l’invasion par la Russie, selon Kiev

Dans un message publié sur son compte Telegram samedi matin, le bureau du procureur général ukrainien affirme que « 537 enfants sont morts en Ukraine à la suite de l’agression armée » en février 2022. Le bilan fait aussi état de « plus de 1 273  [enfants] blessés à des degrés divers ».

Près de la moitié d’entre eux – 524 enfants –, ont été blessés dans l’oblast de Donetsk, dans l’est de l’Ukraine, précise le ministère public.

Après les attaques ukrainiennes, 5 000 enfants ont été évacués de Belgorod

Cinq mille enfants ont été évacués de la région russe de Belgorod, frontalière avec l’Ukraine, après des semaines de bombardements menés par Kiev, a annoncé samedi le gouverneur de la région . « Cinq mille de nos enfants se trouvent déjà hors de la région. Hier, 1 300 enfants sont arrivés à Saint-Pétersbourg, Briansk et Makhatchkala » , a déclaré le gouverneur, Viatcheslav Gladkov.

Les autorités régionales ont annoncé la semaine dernière que 9 000 mineurs seraient transférés vers d’autres régions après qu’une série de bombardements transfrontaliers et de frappes de drones ont tué plus d’une douzaine de civils.

Les enfants qui restent dans la région et vivent dans des municipalités proches de la frontière, y compris Belgorod, la capitale régionale, suivront un enseignement à distance le mois prochain, a-t-il ajouté. Les commerces qui ont été contraints de fermer en raison des attaques seront autorisés à rouvrir, à condition que « le personnel soit formé aux premiers secours » et que des rubans adhésifs soient collés sur les fenêtres, a précisé le gouverneur.

Belgorod a été la cible à plusieurs reprises de ce que les responsables russes ont qualifié d’attaques ukrainiennes aveugles depuis le début du conflit, il y a plus de deux ans. Vendredi, un drone ukrainien s’est écrasé sur un immeuble de plusieurs étages dans la ville tuant un homme et en blessant deux autres, dont sa femme, a déclaré M. Gladkov.

Neuf drones russes interceptés en Ukraine

La défense aérienne ukrainienne a détruit 9 des 12 drones de type Shahed lancés par la Russie dans la nuit de vendredi à samedi, a rapporté l’armée de l’air ukrainienne . Les drones ont été interceptés au-dessus des oblasts de Kherson, d’Odessa, de Dnipropetrovsk et Poltava, est-il précisé dans un message publié sur Telegram.

L’administration militaire de Poltava a fait état de « plusieurs impacts sur une infrastructure du territoire », précisant dans un communiqué sur Telegram que l’attaque n’avait pas fait de victime.

Pour Donald Tusk, l’Europe est entrée dans l’« ère de l’avant-guerre »

Le premier ministre polonais, Donald Tusk, a déclaré vendredi 29 mars lors d’un entretien accordé à la presse européenne que  « la guerre n’est plus un concept du passé »  sur le continent, désormais entré, selon lui ,dans l’ « ère de l’avant-guerre » .

La Russie a intensifié ces dernières semaines ses frappes aériennes contre l’Ukraine, pays voisin de la Pologne. De nouvelles frappes russes massives ont endommagé vendredi trois centrales thermiques, entraînant des coupures d’électricité dans plusieurs régions.

« Je ne veux effrayer personne mais la guerre […] est une réalité et elle a commencé il y a plus de deux ans » , avec l’invasion de l’Ukraine, a déclaré Donald Tusk à l’alliance de huit journaux européens LENA (Leading European Newspaper Alliance). « Le plus inquiétant en ce moment est qu’absolument tous les scénarios sont possibles. Nous n’avons pas connu une telle situation depuis 1945 » , a déclaré l’ancien président du Conseil européen. « Cela semble dévastateur, surtout pour la jeune génération, mais nous devons nous habituer au fait qu’une nouvelle ère a commencé : l’ère de l’avant-guerre. Je n’exagère pas » , a-t-il dit. « Si l’Ukraine perd, personne en Europe ne pourra se sentir en sécurité » , a-t-il insisté.

M. Tusk – dont le pays compte parmi les plus grands soutiens de l’Ukraine, envahie par les forces russes en février 2022 – a également affirmé qu’en matière de défense l’Europe avait  « un long chemin à parcourir »  et qu’elle devait être  « indépendante et autosuffisante »  dans ce domaine. « Notre travail consiste à entretenir des relations transatlantiques quel que soit le président américain » , a-t-il ajouté à l’approche de la présidentielle américaine, en novembre.

Depuis l’invasion de l’Ukraine par la Russie, des craintes ont émergé sur une éventuelle extension du conflit à des pays frontaliers. L’armée polonaise a rapporté dimanche qu’un missile de croisière russe lancé contre des villes situées dans l’ouest de l’Ukraine avait violé l’espace aérien polonais pendant 39 secondes.

Washington réagit aux dernières frappes russes ayant causé des coupures d’électricité

La Maison Blanche a réagi après que des coupures d’électricité d’urgence ont été instaurées vendredi dans trois régions d’Ukraine  à la suite de frappes massives russes  qui ont visé la nuit dernière le réseau énergétique du pays.

Dans un communiqué , Adrienne Watson, porte-parole du Conseil de sécurité national, a déclaré que les frappes russes étaient  « un terrible rappel des efforts de Vladimir Poutine pour saper le moral des Ukrainiens et les plonger dans l’obscurité » .

Elle a également exhorté le Congrès à adopter le projet de loi pour financer l’aide américaine à l’Ukraine. « Les besoins de l’Ukraine sont urgents et nous ne pouvons nous permettre aucun retard supplémentaire » , a-t-elle écrit.

A Odessa, une attaque a fait quatre blessés, dont trois enfants, selon les autorités ukrainiennes

Une attaque à la roquette à Odessa, au sud de l’Ukraine, a blessé, vendredi en début d’après-midi, quatre habitants, dont trois enfants de 15, 12 et 10 ans, a annoncé le bureau du procureur général d’Ukraine. « Des infrastructures civiles ont été endommagées : des bâtiments résidentiels, des bâtiments commerciaux, des magasins, une station-service et des véhicules » , précise le communiqué .

Oleksi Danilov sera le prochain ambassadeur ukrainien en Moldavie

L’ex-secrétaire du Conseil de défense et de sécurité nationale d’Ukraine a été investi par le président Volodymyr Zelensky pour être le prochain ambassadeur ukrainien en Moldavie, a fait savoir le journal The Kyiv Independent , confirmant une information du député ukrainien Oleksiy Goncharenko .

Par décret présidentiel en date du mardi 26 mars , Oleksi Danilov avait été limogé de son poste au Conseil de défense et de sécurité nationale d’Ukraine. Il a été remplacé par  Oleksandr Lytvynenko , ancien chef du service de renseignement extérieur ukrainien, fonction désormais assurée par  Oleh Ivachtchenko .

« Son article devrait être ici » : « The Wall Street Journal » laisse sa « une » blanche en hommage à Evan Gershkovich, emprisonné en Russie depuis un an

Pour rappeler à ses lecteurs, et au monde en général, que l’un de ses journalistes est prisonnier en Russie depuis un an, The Wall Street Journal a laissé un grand rectangle vide sur sa « une » datée du vendredi 29 mars. Le titre : « Son article devrait être ici » . Le court texte qui surplombe l’espace blanc : « Une année dans une prison russe. Une année de récits volés, de joies volées, de souvenirs volés. Le crime : le journalisme. » Au-dessus, le nom et le visage dessiné de son correspondant en Russie, Evan Gershkovich .

Il y a un an jour pour jour, le journaliste américain de 32 ans était arrêté par le FSB alors qu’il était en reportage dans l’Oural. Alors accusé d’ « espionnage » , il est le premier journaliste étranger à l’être en Russie depuis Nicholas Daniloff en 1986 . Il est ensuite incarcéré dans la tristement célèbre prison de Lefortovo, à Moscou. L’accusation, qu’il rejette, tout comme son journal, les Etats-Unis et sa famille, est passible de vingt ans de prison.

Evan Gershkovich est un professionnel reconnu, installé en Russie depuis six ans au moment de son arrestation et parfaitement russophone. Contrairement à beaucoup de journalistes américains, il avait décidé de rester en Russie après l’invasion de l’Ukraine en février 2022. Ce n’était pas son pays d’origine, mais celui de ses racines, de ses parents, des juifs soviétiques qui avaient fui l’URSS dans les années 1970.

Lors de son arrestation dans la ville d’Iekaterinbourg, il semblait travailler sur des sujets sensibles : l’industrie de l’armement et le groupe paramilitaire Wagner. Les services russes l’ont accusé de tenter d’ « obtenir des informations secrètes » à la demande des Etats-Unis. Le Kremlin affirme l’avoir pris « en flagrant délit » d’espionnage. Aucun n’a depuis donné publiquement d’éléments de preuve, la procédure ayant été classée secrète.

Lire aussi | Evan Gershkovich emprisonné en Russie : « The Wall Street Journal » laisse sa « une » blanche en hommage au journaliste

L’ukraine reçoit 1,5 milliard de dollars de financement dans le cadre du programme de la banque mondiale.

L’Ukraine a reçu une tranche de financement de 1,5 milliard de dollars (1,4 milliard d’euros) dans le cadre d’un programme de la Banque mondiale. Vendredi Denys Chmyhal, le premier ministre ukrainien, a déclaré sur X que « 984 millions de dollars viennent du Japon et 516 millions de dollars du Royaume-Uni. Les fonds couvriront les dépenses budgétaires pour les besoins sociaux et humanitaires et la reconstruction » .

L’Ukraine et l’Inde conviennent de « renforcer leurs relations »

Le ministre des affaires étrangères ukrainien, Dmytro Kuleba, a rencontré, vendredi, le chef de la diplomatie indienne, S. Jaishankar. Les entretiens ont « confirmé notre intention de renforcer les relations avec Kiev » , a écrit à l’issue des entretiens le chef de la diplomatie indienne, S. Jaishankar , sur les réseaux sociaux. « Notre objectif immédiat est de revenir aux niveaux de commerce antérieurs » , a-t-il ajouté.

Le ministre ukrainien a, de son côté, déclaré sur X que la rencontre avait permis « de convenir de restaurer le niveau de coopération entre les deux pays qui préexistait à la guerre massive lancée par la Russie, ainsi que d’identifier de nouveaux projets prometteurs pour amener les relations à un niveau supérieur » .

« Ce n’est pas seulement l’Ukraine qui est menacée [par la catastrophe environnementale], mais aussi la Moldavie », estime le président ukrainien

Volodymyr Zelensky a déclaré, vendredi, que les centrales hydroélectriques ukrainiennes de Kaniv et du Dniester (près de Novodnistrovsk) avaient été attaquées lors de frappes russes nocturnes. « Le pays terroriste veut répéter la catastrophe environnementale dans la région de Kherson. Mais aujourd’hui, ce n’est pas seulement l’Ukraine qui est menacée, mais aussi la Moldavie » , a déclaré le président ukrainien sur Telegram . « L’eau ne s’arrêtera pas aux postes-frontières, pas plus que la guerre russe, à moins que nous ne l’arrêtions ensemble et à temps en Ukraine. »

Il faut « reconstituer plus rapidement les stocks » de la défense antiaérienne de l’Ukraine, dit Volodymyr Zelensky

Après les frappes massives russes  qui ont visé le réseau énergétique ukrainien, dans la nuit de jeudi à vendredi, Volodymyr Zelensky a évoqué, sur Telegram , la nécessité de « reconstituer plus rapidement les stocks » de la défense antiaérienne du pays. Le président ukrainien a également dit « compter sur la réaction rapide » de ses alliés occidentaux.

Le contexte

Lire tous nos articles, analyses et reportages sur la guerre en Ukraine

Les reportages, analyses et décryptages du « Monde »

• La stratégie des « mille entailles » de Kiev pour enrayer la machine russe
• Insultes, provocations militaires et cyberattaques : l’agressivité de Moscou envers Paris redouble de vigueur
• La France et l’Allemagne vont coproduire des équipements militaires en Ukraine
• Au 126ᵉ régiment d’infanterie de Brive, l’ombre grandissante de la guerre en Ukraine
• A Zaporijia, Ukrainiens et Russes contraints de se coordonner pour éviter un accident nucléaire
• L’Ukraine peut-elle encore gagner la guerre ?
• Dans le Donbass, les soldats ukrainiens fortifient leurs lignes de défense le plus vite possible pour ralentir l’armée russe
• Le passage à la langue ukrainienne, un acte de résistance : « Quand j’entends parler russe, ça me donne envie de vomir »
• Maria Andreïeva, femme de mobilisé russe : « Je m’en veux de ne pas avoir su retenir mon mari »

Nos réponses à vos questions les plus fréquentes

Comment Moscou et Kiev utilisent des drones ?

Depuis plusieurs mois, la guerre des drones entre la Russie et l'Ukraine a pris une ampleur inégalée. Selon un rapport, publié en mai 2023 par un think tank britannique spécialisé dans les questions de défense, les Ukrainiens perdaient quelque 10   000   drones par mois sur le champ de bataille, soit plus de 300 par jour. A titre de comparaison, l'armée française dispose d'un peu plus de 3   000   avions sans pilote dans ses arsenaux.

Ukrainiens et Russes utilisent essentiellement de petits UAV ( unmanned aerial vehicle , en anglais) d'origine civile, bon marché et disponibles en grand nombre. Ils servent à observer le champ de bataille et à guider les troupes ou les tirs d'artillerie ; certains sont aussi bricolés pour porter de petites charges explosives, larguées ensuite sur des tranchées ou des blindés.

Moins nombreux, les drones-kamikazes jouent également un rôle important. Dotés d’une charge explosive, ces UAV sont lancés au-dessus de la ligne de front sans objectif attribué à l’avance. Moscou utilise des drones russes Lancet-3, ainsi que des Shahed-136, de fabrication iranienne. Dépourvue d’une flotte de guerre digne de ce nom, l’Ukraine nargue l’ennemi avec des engins maritimes sans pilote, des petits kayaks guidés à distance et chargés d’explosifs (450 kilos de TNT).

Signe de l’importance des drones pour leurs opérations, les Ukrainiens comme les Russes se sont organisés pour pouvoir alimenter leurs troupes dans la durée, non seulement en achetant en masse des drones civils sur le marché, mais aussi en mettant sur pied des capacités de production endogènes. Balbutiante au début de la guerre du Donbass, déclenchée il y a dix ans, l’industrie nationale ukrainienne est depuis montée en puissance. A la fin d'août, le ministre de la transformation numérique ukrainien a annoncé qu’une copie du drone russe Lancet avait été mise au point et serait bientôt lancée sous le nom de Peroun, dieu slave de la foudre et du tonnerre. 

Entravée par les sanctions occidentales, qui limitent son approvisionnement en composants électroniques, la Russie est plus à la peine. Mais, selon les services de renseignement américains, Moscou aurait toutefois commencé la construction d’une usine dans la zone économique spéciale d’Alabouga, afin d’y fabriquer des drones-kamikazes de conception iranienne, comme les Shahed-136.

Que sait-on des stocks de missiles russes ?

Il est très difficile, voire impossible, de connaître l’état actuel des stocks de missiles de l’armée russe. Les services de renseignement ukrainiens communiquent régulièrement sur le sujet, mais leurs estimations sont sujettes à caution. 

Selon Andri Ioussov, porte-parole de la direction générale du renseignement du ministère de la défense (GUR), cité par Liga.net , l’armée russe disposait de 2   300   missiles balistiques ou de croisière avant la guerre et en avait encore plus de 900 au début de l’année. A ce total, s’ajoutent, d’après le porte-parole, une dizaine de milliers de missiles antiaériens S-300, d’une portée de l’ordre de 120   kilomètres, et un stock important de S-400, déclinaison plus récente d’une portée trois fois supérieure. En août, Vadym Skibitsky, numéro deux du GUR, avançait le chiffre de 585   missiles d’une portée supérieure à 500   kilomètres.

En ce qui concerne les capacités de production, elles seraient passées à une centaine de missiles balistiques ou de croisière par mois, selon  plusieurs experts . En octobre, le GUR évaluait cette production à 115   exemplaires.

La Russie aurait, par ailleurs, acquis des missiles à courte portée en Iran et en Corée du Nord et continuerait à s’en procurer. Selon l’agence Reuters , qui cite plusieurs sources iraniennes, 400 missiles iraniens de la famille Fateh-110 (300 à 700   kilomètres) lui auraient été livrés depuis janvier, date à laquelle un accord aurait été conclu. On ignore combien de missiles nord-coréens la Russie s’est procuré, mais 24 ont été tirés en Ukraine entre le 30   décembre   2023 et le 7   février   2024, selon le procureur général, Andriy Kostin. D’après les experts qui ont analysé les débris et les trajectoires, il s’agit probablement de KN-23 et KN-24 d’une portée de l’ordre de 400   kilomètres.

Quid des avions de combat F-16 ?

Accédant à une demande de long-terme de la part du président ukrainien, les Etats-Unis ont, en août 2023, donné leur accord au transfert d’avions de combat F-16 à l’Ukraine. S’il existe une flotte potentielle de plus de 300   F-16 dans neuf pays d’Europe – en Belgique, au Danemark, en Grèce, aux Pays-Bas et au Portugal, entre autres –, tous les Etats qui en disposent ne sont pas en mesure d’en céder du jour au lendemain. 

Volodymyr Zelensky avait avancé le chiffre de 42   F-16 promis par les alliés occidentaux à Kiev, mais cette donnée n’a pas été confirmée. Le Danemark en a promis 19. Les 6   premiers ne devaient pas être livrés avant la fin de 2023, 8   autres suivront en 2024 et 5   en 2025, selon la première ministre danoise, Mette Frederiksen. Les Pays-Bas, qui en ont promis aussi, disposent de 42   unités, mais ils n’ont pas précisé combien ils comptaient en céder.

Par ailleurs, les pilotes ukrainiens doivent être formés à ces avions de combat américains. Onze pays alliés de Kiev se sont engagés à prendre en charge des pilotes. L’OTAN a estimé que les soldats ukrainiens ne seraient en mesure d’utiliser les avions en situation de combat qu’au début de 2024, d’autres experts visent plutôt l’été de la même année.

Quel soutien militaire ses alliés fournissent-ils à Kiev ?

Deux ans après le début de la guerre à grande échelle, la dynamique du soutien occidental à Kiev est en perte de vitesse : les aides nouvellement engagées sont en baisse sur la période d’août 2023 à janvier 2024 par rapport à la même période de l’année précédente, selon le dernier rapport de l’Institut Kiel , publié en février 2024. Et cette tendance pourrait se poursuivre,  le Sénat américain peinant à faire voter des aides , et l’Union européenne (UE) ayant eu toutes les difficultés à faire adopter une aide de 50 milliards le 1 er  février 2024, du fait du blocage hongrois. A noter, ces deux paquets d’aide ne sont pas encore pris en compte dans le dernier bilan fait par l’Institut Kiel, qui s’arrête en janvier 2024.

Les données de l’institut allemand montrent que le nombre de donateurs se réduit et se concentre autour d’un noyau de pays : les Etats-Unis, l’Allemagne, les pays du nord et de l’est de l’Europe, qui promettent à la fois une aide financière élevée et de l’armement de pointe. Au total, depuis février 2022, les pays qui soutiennent Kiev se sont engagés à hauteur d’au moins 276 milliards d’euros sur le plan militaire, financier ou humanitaire.

En valeur absolue, les pays les plus riches se sont montrés les plus généreux. Les Etats-Unis sont de loin les premiers donateurs, avec plus de 75 milliards d’euros d’aide annoncés, dont 46,3 milliards en aide militaire. Les pays de l’Union européenne ont annoncé à la fois des aides bilatérales (64,86 milliards d’euros) et des aides communes provenant des fonds de l’Union européenne (93,25 milliards d’euros), pour un total de 158,1 milliards d’euros.

Lorsque l’on rapporte ces contributions au produit intérieur brut (PIB) de chacun des pays donateurs, le classement change. Les Etats-Unis rétrogradent au vingtième rang (0,32 % de leur PIB), bien après des pays voisins de l’Ukraine ou d’anciennes républiques soviétiques amies. L’Estonie prend la tête des aides rapportées au PIB avec 3,55 %, suivie du Danemark (2,41 %) et de la Norvège (1,72 %). Le reste du top 5 est complété par la Lituanie (1,54 %) et la Lettonie (1,15 %). Les trois Etats baltes, qui ont tous des frontières communes avec la Russie ou son alliée la Biélorussie, font partie des donateurs les plus généreux depuis le début du conflit.

Au classement du pourcentage de PIB, la France est vingt-septième, ayant engagé avec 0,07 % de son PIB, juste derrière la Grèce (0,09 %). L’aide fournie par Paris est en recul constant depuis le début de l’invasion de l’Ukraine par la Russie – la France était vingt-quatrième en avril 2023, et treizième à l’été 2022.

Que sait-on des tensions à la frontière entre l'Ukraine et la Pologne ?

Depuis plusieurs mois, les relations sont difficiles entre l'Ukraine et la Pologne. Le transit des céréales en provenance d'Ukraine est au cœur des tensions. Au printemps 2022, la Commission européenne avait mis en place des «   voies de solidarité   »  pour faciliter l'évacuation et la vente de produits agricoles ukrainiens, sans droits de douane, vers l'Afrique et le Moyen-Orient. Mais «   depuis le début du conflit, ce sont près de 50 % des céréales ukrainiennes qui transitent ou achèvent leur parcours dans l'Union européenne (UE), selon la Fondation Farm, cercle de réflexion autour des questions agricoles mondiales. Or, ces céréales affichent un prix beaucoup plus bas que le blé produit en UE, notamment dans les pays d'Europe centrale   ».

Arguant que ces céréales déstabilisent le marché local et donc les revenus de leurs agriculteurs, la Pologne, la Bulgarie, la Hongrie, la Roumanie et la Slovaquie avaient bloqué unilatéralement leurs importations en avril 2023. Un embargo que Bruxelles avait accepté, à condition qu'il n'empêche pas le transit vers d'autres pays et qu'il ne dure que quatre mois. Estimant que le problème de fond n'avait pas été réglé, Varsovie a décidé de ne pas rouvrir sa frontière aux céréales ukrainiennes à la fin de l'été, alors que Bruxelles estimait que l'embargo n'avait plus de raison d'être car ses analyses montraient «   qu'il n'y avait plus de distorsion des marchés nationaux pour les céréales   » .

Les agriculteurs polonais bloquent depuis la frontière entre l'Ukraine et la Pologne pour empêcher les camions ukrainiens d'entrer sur le territoire national, les protestataires réclamant un  «   embargo complet   » sur les produits agricoles et alimentaires ukrainiens. Ils dénoncent notamment l'explosion de leurs coûts de production alors que silos et entrepôts sont saturés et que les prix sont au plus bas. Le président ukrainien estimait au début de 2024 que le blocus de la frontière polonaise témoignait de « l’érosion de la solidarité » envers son pays, et a réclamé des pourparlers avec la Pologne.  « Seul Moscou se réjouit » de ces tensions, a-t-il aussi affirmé, dénonçant  « l’apparition de slogans ouvertement pro-Poutine ».

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