Ukraine carried out attacks deep into Russian territory on Monday. Never since the war began in February have Ukrainian shells pushed so many hundreds of kilometers into Russia. There were fatalities and injuries, Russian long-range bombers were damaged.
Ukraine attacked two military airfields in Ryazan and Saratov oblasts “to disable Russian long-range aircraft,” according to the Moscow Defense Ministry, which blamed “reactive Soviet-made drones” for the attacks.
On the contrary, the drones seem to come from Ukrainian internal production. The day before these attacks, the Kiev State-owned armaments company Ukroboronprom confirmed the development and final testing phase of a strike drone with a 75-kilogram warhead and a range of up to 1,000 kilometers. Such drones with such range could mean a turning point in the war.
Moscow within reach
With a flight range of 1,000 kilometers, these new tactical unmanned kamikaze weapons would bring all Russian positions from the Finnish border to Dagestan within range. Theoretically, this means that cities such as Moscow and even St. Petersburg on the Gulf of Finland will also become targets.
The center of Moscow is about 450 kilometers from the Ukrainian border. The attacked air base in Ryazan is located about 160 kilometers southeast of the Russian capital and about 350 kilometers from the Ukrainian border. The linear distance from the British military base in Saratov to the Ukrainian border is about 500 kilometers. According to reports, the drone traveled a distance of nearly 720 kilometers from the launch site to impact.
New preparedness of Kiev
The Ukrainians have not flown at such great distances since the beginning of the war. The attacks signaled a new tactic, as well as Kiev’s willingness to shift the battle to targets in the heart of Russia. According to information from the “New York Times”, the Ukrainians also deployed agents near the attacked bases “who helped guide the drones to their targets”.
For the first time, Ukraine has shown its ability to launch attacks at such great distances. According to Ukrainian sources, Engels is a military base for Russia’s relentless missile attacks on Ukraine’s infrastructure, leaving millions of people without light, heat or water during the winter.
The US, Ukraine’s main arms supplier, has so far refused to supply long-range weapons requested by Kiev. Washington warns of a possible cross-border escalation of the war if the Ukrainians attack targets in Russia. (kes)