Meet the dangerous new long-range missile Russia is firing at Ukraine

Meet the dangerous new long-range missile Russia is firing at Ukraine

Posted: April 21, 2024 | Last updated: April 21, 2024

<p><span>Moscow has a new long-range cruise missile and it is deploying this dangerous weapon against Ukraine's energy infrastructure according to a recent report from the Institute for the Study of War. </span></p>
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What is the Kh-69 cruise missile?

Moscow has a new long-range cruise missile and it is deploying this dangerous weapon against Ukraine's energy infrastructure according to a recent report from the Institute for the Study of War. 

<p><span>The Washington-based think tank the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) reported in an April 12th campaign update on the war of Ukraine that Moscow developed a new cruise missile: the Kh-69. </span></p> <p>Photo Credit: Wiki Commons By Boevaya Mashina, Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0</p>
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A new cruise missile in the war

The Washington-based think tank the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) reported in an April 12th campaign update on the war of Ukraine that Moscow developed a new cruise missile: the Kh-69. 

Photo Credit: Wiki Commons By Boevaya Mashina, Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0

<p><span>The new plans will allow NATO member states to send their air defense equipment to Lithuania on a rotational basis, meaning each country will protect NATO airspace for a set period, though those details have yet to be released.</span></p>
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An air-to-surface subsonic cruise missile

This new domestically produced air-to-surface subsonic cruise missile was being fielded as part of continuing Russian efforts to improve the weapons that it is using to penetrate Kyiv’s air defenses. 

<p><span>On April 11th, Ukrainian media reported that Moscow used 11 Kh-69 missiles to destroy the important Trypilska Thermal Power Plant in Kyiv Oblast. The assault was a success for Russian forces. </span></p>
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Used against Ukraine's energy infrastructure

On April 11th, Ukrainian media reported that Moscow used 11 Kh-69 missiles to destroy the important Trypilska Thermal Power Plant in Kyiv Oblast. The assault was a success for Russian forces. 

<p><span>The attack on the Trypilska Thermal Power Plant also included 82 missiles and drones in total according to CNN and the Ukrainian Air Force claimed it shot down 18 missiles as well as 32 drones.  </span></p>
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The Trypilska Thermal Power Plant attack

The attack on the Trypilska Thermal Power Plant also included 82 missiles and drones in total according to CNN and the Ukrainian Air Force claimed it shot down 18 missiles as well as 32 drones.  

<p><span>On April 12th, Ukrainian Air Force Spokesperson Major Ilya Yevlash announced Russia had deployed Kh-69 missiles in the attack on the Trypilska Thermal Power Plant before describing the weapons. </span></p>
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A confirmation of the missile fired

On April 12th, Ukrainian Air Force Spokesperson Major Ilya Yevlash announced Russia had deployed Kh-69 missiles in the attack on the Trypilska Thermal Power Plant before describing the weapons. 

<p><span>Major Yevlash explained that an improvised Kh-59 missile was used in the assault but added that work was being done to figure out what type of missile Russia used, though he later called it a Kh-69. </span></p> <p>Photo Credit: Wiki Commons By Allocer, Own Work, CC BY-SA 3.0</p>
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An improvised Kh-59 missile

Major Yevlash explained that an improvised Kh-59 missile was used in the assault but added that work was being done to figure out what type of missile Russia used, though he later called it a Kh-69. 

Photo Credit: Wiki Commons By Allocer, Own Work, CC BY-SA 3.0

<p><span>“Basically one-third of their national budget is going on military production and on the war in Ukraine … But we don’t know when it will actually impact on society. So it’s a little bit challenging to say when will this stop,” </span><span>Riisik revealed. </span></p>
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Produced in 2023

The production date of the missiles used in the attack on the Trypilska Thermal Power Plant were produced in 2023 according to Yevlash, who added that it showed Moscow was still making new missiles. 

<p><span>However, Yevlash’s comments to Ukrainian media in mid-February provided details on exactly how the myth of the Ghost of Kyiv was created by Ukraine. It was Yevlash’s team that was behind the legend. </span></p>
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Russia is constantly producing

“These are fresh missiles with parts manufactured in 2023. So we can see that Russia is constantly trying to produce new missiles,” Yevlash told Ukrainian media according to a translation from the Telegraph.

<p><span>However, the next best thing might be to provide Kyiv with the weapons it needs to stop Russia from dominating the skies above Ukraine. Kyiv needs more air defense systems according to the Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, </span><span>Mykhailo Podolyak. </span></p>
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A new missile for Ukraine

“The Kh-69 missile is a new missile for us, so we are, among other things, studying how we can shoot it down,” Yevlash added, remarking that the U.S.-made Patriot air defense system could down the missile quickly

<p><span>Why the Kh-69 is dangerous isn’t hard to understand. ISW reported that the missile can be launched from the air at over 400 kilometers or about 250 miles away, exceeding the 200-kilometer range (125 mi) range of the Kh-59MK2 variant.</span></p> <p>Photo Credit: Wiki Commons By Vitaly V. Kuzmin, CC BY-SA 4.0</p>
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It can be launched at long range

Why the Kh-69 is dangerous isn’t hard to understand. ISW reported that the missile can be launched from the air at over 400 kilometers or about 250 miles away, exceeding the 200-kilometer range (125 mi) range of the Kh-59MK2 variant.

Photo Credit: Wiki Commons By Vitaly V. Kuzmin, CC BY-SA 4.0

<p><span>Russian pilots providing close air support are vulnerable to Stinger attacks. They might be to avoid the attacks using countermeasures, but that will prevent them from hitting Ukrainian artillery, so Kyiv wins either way. </span></p>
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Other worrying problems

“Russian forces can reportedly launch the missiles from more numerous Su-34 and Su-35 tactical aircraft rather than exclusively from strategic bombers,” ISW analysts added, which means they’re likely tough to counter. 

<p><span>Three Kinzhal hypersonic missiles were also fired during the airstrike but officials didn’t say how many, or if any, were intercepted by Ukraine’s air defenses, though it was noted that 27 Shahed drones were downed in the attacks. </span></p>
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Not as fast as the Kinzhal

The Kh-69 isn't as fast as the hypersonic air-launched ballistic missile Kh-47M2 Kinzhal (Dager), but Defense Express reported that in terms of the weapons’s consequences for Ukraine, it may be “more dangerous. 

<p>Volodymyr Zelensky has allegedly been the target of several assassination attempts since Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion of Ukraine. However, the world didn't learn the reality about how many attempts were made on Zelensky's life until he revealed the number in November 2023.</p>
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A worse option for Ukraine

Even though the Kh-69 isn’t as fast as the Kinzhal and despite the fact that it also has a smaller warhead, the use of the new missile by Russia in Ukraine may “be considered a worse option for Ukraine,” Defense Express noted. 

<p><span>Defense Express added that the Kh-69s strike on the Trypilska Thermal Power Plant showed it could beat Ukrainian air defense and added that its launch from tactical aircraft made it a feature of Russia’s large-scale strikes. </span></p>
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Beating Ukraine’s air defenses

Defense Express added that the Kh-69s strike on the Trypilska Thermal Power Plant showed it could beat Ukrainian air defense and added that its launch from tactical aircraft made it a feature of Russia’s large-scale strikes. 

<p><span>On September 28th, the Russian government announced that it received the next serial production of the country’s fifth-generation Su-57 fighter and the 4++ generation Su-35S from the United Aircraft Corporation in a short news brief on its website. </span></p>
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A possibility of single salvo strikes

Moreover, the Kh-69's ability to be launched from Su-34 and Su-35 jets means there is a potential for the missiles to be used in one-off salvos, something that makes the Kh-69 a particularly dangerous tool in the Russian arsenal. 

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