"Russia is using everything at its disposal to strike."
For the first time, Russia launched a training missile RM-48U, catching Ukraine off guard.
These missiles were decommissioned but have been reintroduced as offensive weapons, The Telegraph reports. "Ukraine has no choice but to fend off the revived 'zombie missiles' using expensive defensive technologies, which is likely a new Russian tactic to exhaust Ukraine's resources," the publication stated.
What is RM-48U
The RM-48U, used as a target for training firings from S-300 and S-400 anti-aircraft missile systems, is a modification of the standard missiles 5V55 or 48N6, whose service life has expired.
They are easy to adapt and increase the weight of Russian bombings.
The 5V55 and 48N6 missiles can carry a payload of 133 to 180 kg. It is still unclear whether the missile that breached the Ukrainian air defense system carried a warhead or was used as a decoy.
"Supersonic target missiles RM-48U are based on decommissioned or retired guided anti-aircraft missiles. They use all the old stuff that is lying in warehouses," said an unnamed military expert.
"Now, based on them, ground-to-ground missiles are being produced by adding a warhead. This could be a warhead from standard missiles 5V55 and 48N6DM or a modernized fragmentation-explosive version," said a Russian military expert.
The publication noted that since these missiles were developed for completely different purposes, they likely lack accuracy. However, they increase the volume of Russian strikes on Ukrainian cities, forcing Kyiv to spend scarce and expensive resources on defense.
"Russia has long used interceptor missiles, that is, anti-aircraft missiles designed to intercept incoming aircraft or missiles, as offensive weapons," said Mauro Gilli, a professor of military strategy and technology at the Hertie School.
"If fired on a parabolic trajectory, upon impact it will cause certain damage," he added, despite the fact that the missiles are not being used for their intended purpose.
Although Gilli warned against viewing the use of RM-48U as a sign of a missile shortage in Russia. He noted that it "indicates that Russia is using everything at its disposal to strike Ukraine."
"These missiles are no longer of any use because they have been decommissioned... Therefore, the cost of using them is very low," Gilli added.
The main goal of using these missiles is to increase mass, "this means that the Ukrainian air defense system will not be able to intercept everything."
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