War in Ukraine. Russia is attacking with its hypersonic missiles

Mass bombings against Ukraine have been stopped since mid-February. The Russian strategy of attacking the energy infrastructure to demoralize the population ended in failure. Also facing the constraints of a war economy reinforced by the weight of Western economic sanctions, Vladimir Putin’s military must also replenish its supplies. However, between Wednesday and Thursday night, Moscow fired new missiles. Officially it is “reprisalsagainst intrusionUkrainian saboteurson the territory of Russia. At least six people lost their lives. There was a power cut in some places. The site of the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant was damaged. After an interruption lasting about ten hours, electricity was restored.

This Russian salvo is different from the previous ones. Ukrainian authorities claimed that only 34 of the 81 missiles fired were intercepted (in addition to four destroyed Shahed drones), a much lower success rate than previously claimed.

A sign that other supplies are running out

Russia especially used “Kinjal” hypersonic missiles. A year ago, these high-tech weapons were used in a strike aimed more at impressing the West than hitting high-value targets. These missiles fly at speeds above Mach 5 and up to Mach 10 when terminal. But Russia a priori has only a few dozen examples. Six Kinjal Kh-47 missiles were launched and none were intercepted. Their use can serve as an example, as before. It also reveals a new threat that Chief of Staff General Burkhardt highlighted during an Assembly hearing in January.operational efficiency“hypersonic missiles”is not yet mature, we cannot ignore the appearance of this threat. full operational capability will one day be achieved“, he warned in January.

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The use of hypersonic missiles is also a sign of the depletion of other resources. If Russia uses low-precision surface-to-air missiles or Kalibrs in its strikes, launched from its ships at sea, then the bombings primarily emphasize the role of its “long-range” aviation. These Dalnaya aviation bombers, such as the Tu-22M3 or the Tu-95, are among the jewels of the Russian arsenal. They are capable of carrying both conventional and nuclear weapons. They were already invited at the beginning of the attack. In April, the 121st Sevastopol Heavy Bomber Regiment was decorated for its involvement… They then served in the Mariupol bombing. “Smooth” bombs were used, that is, without guidance.

This time it’s cruise missiles. “Shots are fired “to stand,” that is, away from threatsfrom the airspace of Russia or Belarus, explains the French military source. “These bombers are largely responsible for the strikes on Ukraine“In autumn and winter, we add. The detachments are especially located in Russia at the Engels base. This strategic location was the target of Ukrainian attacks twice last year. The damage was primarily symbolic.