Russia uses nuclear warheads without warheads to attack Ukraine - Defense Express

On the night of January 15, during a massive attack on Ukraine, russian troops launched Kh-55SM cruise missiles with full-size mock-ups of warheads to complicate the work of Ukrainian air defense forces.

This is reported by Defense Express.

The use of the Kh-55SM is separately noted in the report of the Ukrainian Air Force Command. These missiles, together with the Kh-555, were launched from a Tu-95MS from a launch area in the Volgograd Oblast.

The purpose of using these missiles, which carry only a metal "blank", is to confuse Ukrainian air defense forces, that is, to be a false target. The report about the Kh-55SM in the Air Force reports recently also appears in the statistics of repelling attacks for December 25 and 13, 2024.

The missile itself differs from the regular Kh-55 in conformal tanks, due to which the range is increased to 3,500 km. This version appeared in 1987 and continued to be produced in the russian federation after the collapse of the USSR. In general, the russian federation has been using Kh-55 missiles and their modernizations for strikes on Ukraine since November 2022.

Also, in the attack on the night of January 15, the russians used one ballistic missile (Iskander or KN-23), 7 Kh-22 or Kh-32 missiles from the Tu-22M3, 4 Kalibr sea-based cruise missiles, 27 Kh-101 air-based cruise missiles and the Kh-55SM themselves, 4 Kh-59 or Kh-69 guided missiles, as well as 74 Shahed drones and simulator drones. Thus, in total, the enemy used 117 air attack vehicles, of which 43 were missiles.

As Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, on the night of January 15, the russian occupiers attacked Ukraine with 117 air targets, including missiles of various types, including one ballistic, as well as 74 Shahed strike UAVs and simulator drones. Air defense forces shot down 30 missiles and 47 UAVs.

On Wednesday morning, the russians attacked the Lviv region with cruise missiles, hitting 2 critical infrastructure facilities in the Drohobych and Stryi districts.

To request a correction, please send an email.