Missiles for targets in russia: Ukraine has the necessary arsenal of its own models
There are also 'underdogs' in this list
Transferring weapons with a range of over 100 km to Ukraine by Western allies – such as the very same Storm Shadow missiles and their variants – is always accompanied by certain restrictions, such as "not targeting objects on the territory of russia". However, a full-fledged war is simply impossible without neutralising the enemy on their own territory. That's why the Ukrainian Armed Forces actively utilise other types of weaponry. These could either be extremely outdated models or other weapons that have been unusually modernised. Militancy expert Mykhailo Zhyrokhov told Mind what kind of missiles Ukraine can use to hit targets on the enemy's territory and whether it is possible.
Tochka-U Army Tactical Missile System
As of February 24, 2022, the only 'long arm' of the Ukrainian army was the Tochka-U short-range missile system. The missile of this system is essentially a single-stage ballistic missile with a solid-fuel engine, guided throughout its flight trajectory, with an unseparated warhead weighing 482 kg. The missile's flight is controlled by an autonomous inertial guidance system. The maximum trajectory height reaches 26 km, and the flight time to its maximum range (120 km) is 136 seconds.
The Tochka-U Complexd
As of 2009, according to Western data, Ukraine had 90 Tochka and Tochka-U missile systems in its arsenal and storage, along with several hundred missiles. The complex was actively used during the initial phase of the russo-Ukrainian War in 2014-2015, with a total of 95 missiles being launched. During the full-scale invasion, these complexes were also extensively employed to strike targets within russian territory.
For instance, on February 25, the Tochka missiles targeted the Millerovo air base in the rostov oblast. At least two Su-30SM aircraft and three officers of the russian aerospace forces were reportedly destroyed.
However, the number of missiles in the Ukrainian arsenal has been gradually decreasing, although efforts are being made for serial production by domestic enterprises. Currently, the Tochka-U is more frequently used for strikes on enemy infrastructure near the frontlines.
Tu-141 Strizh Unmanned Aerial Vehicle
On December 5-6, 2022, russian strategic aviation bases in ryazan, kursk, and engels were hit by "unknown attack drones". Since these targets were located deep within russian territory and at a considerable distance from the Ukrainian border (approximately 600 km from the saratov airfield engels-2 to the Ukrainian border, about 450 km away from ryazan's diagilevo, and 100 km away from kursk), the search began for long-range weaponry in the arsenal of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
Tu-141 Strizh UAV
russian and Western experts quickly concluded that the Ukrainian military had used modified Strizh-type drones for the strikes. This jet-powered vehicle was developed at the tupolev design bureau in the 1960s. It was designed to penetrate through enemy air defence systems at supersonic speeds (over 1230 km/h) along the frontline, conduct reconnaissance several hundred kilometres away, and then return to its base.
After the collapse of the soviet union, Ukraine inherited approximately one and a half hundred of these UAVs. In 2014, they attempted to use them as reconnaissance assets in Donbas, but due to outdated equipment, only a few launches were made, and the usage was discontinued.
According to some reports, starting from March 2022, efforts were made to convert these UAVs into kamikaze drones. Apparently, the outdated equipment was removed, and a combat payload was installed (with various options like a 250 kg or 500 kg bomb or a 152 mm artillery shell) along with a control system (possibly relying on GPS and Starlink). In this form, the drones were launched against targets within russian territory and occupied Crimea.
The exact number of launches is unknown, but according to some reports, several dozen were carried out.
Mugin-5 Pro Unmanned Aerial Vehicle
Another widespread UAV used for strikes on russian territory is the modified commercial drone Mugin-5 Pro of Chinese origin.
The existence of such drones came to light on June 22, 2022, when a pair of "unknown kamikaze drones" struck an oil refinery in novoshakhtinsk, rostov oblast. The target was situated more than 150 km from the frontline. A fire broke out but was extinguished within an hour. The incident was captured on video by civilians, and the type of aerial vehicle could be recognised from the footage.
The same type of drone was employed on August 20, 2022, to strike the headquarters of the Black Sea fleet in Sevastopol. Although it did not cause significant damage to the russians, there was an intriguing moment.
The kamikaze drone that struck the headquarters of the Black Sea fleet in Sevastopol attempted to be shot down with small arms fire, but the attempts were unsuccessful. Apparently, russian air defence systems proved ineffective against the drone, although the so-called 'governor' mikhail razvozhayev claimed that the explosion did not cause significant damage to the building.
Let's focus on the characteristics of this drone, which can be purchased by anyone for $9,500. The drone has a fixed wing with a 5 metre wingspan and a carbon fibre body, making it difficult to detect even with military radars. It is equipped with a DLA 180cc EFI internal combustion engine with a 27-litre fuel tank. Being a relatively large device, it requires a paved runway of at least 60 metres for takeoff and 85 metres for landing. The payload capacity is up to 20 kg, and its flight time can reach up to 7 hours. Interestingly, the official specifications do not mention the drone's flight range, but based on other figures, its strike capabilities are estimated to be around 150–200 km.
As of the latest available information up to April 29, 2023, there were reports of the use of such drones. According to the russians, military targets in occupied Crimea were attacked by at least six kamikaze drones, with two of them reaching their targets, hitting an oil depot. Another drone was shot down by the russian air defence system near the village of Zernove, approximately 43 km from Simferopol. From the video footage, it appears that the Mugin-5 Pro drone crashed due to damage to its wing.
What rocket could have hit the Crimean Bridge
These are the models that have been proven to be used by Ukraine against objects on russian territory. However, there is at least one example the use of which, while more or less proven by photos and videos, raises certain doubts about its presence in the Ukrainian arsenal. In the summer of 2023, in the media (especially in russian propaganda), information began to spread that Ukraine used missiles from the S-200 anti-aircraft missile system for strikes in the area of the Crimean Bridge and in the bryansk oblast. Moreover, during the strike on July 9th in the bryansk oblast, a missile very similar to it was captured on video, which has aerodynamic surfaces on the march stage arranged in an X-shaped manner, with the rear position of the steering relative to the wings.
The origin of these missiles is unknown: they were withdrawn from service in the early 2000s in our country. However, they are stored in Eastern Europe. If this is indeed the case, it is very good news for us. The missiles of the 5V28 modification have a launch weight of 11 tonnes, are equipped with 91 kg of explosive substance TG-20, and contain 37,000 warheads of two diameters, including 21,000 elements weighing 3.5 grams and 16,000 elements weighing 2 grams.
In fact, this is a kind of makeshift version of the first modification of ATACMS Block 1 – a basic version of a missile with an inertial guidance system, which has a rather modest range of up to 165 km.
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