Russian warships in the Black Sea were ordered to launch four missiles at Ukrainian military infrastructure in the shortest possible time, apparently targeting high-value targets.
"While operating in the Black Sea, a frigate received an urgent order to launch Kalibr cruise missiles at enemy military infrastructure in the shortest possible time. Four missiles were launched in succession, hitting all designated targets," the Russian Defense Ministry said today.
Russian military television later released video showing the preparation and launch of a Kalibr missile from a Project 11356R frigate of the Black Sea Fleet.
Russian warships launch Kalibr missiles towards Ukraine in video released today. Video: Zvezda
Russian officials did not disclose the location of the attack, but the order to “launch missiles in the shortest possible time” suggests that Russian intelligence appears to have detected a high-value Ukrainian target and needed to strike quickly to avoid missing the opportunity.
The Ukrainian military has not commented on the information.
The Ukrainian Navy said on the evening of November 28 that at least two Russian submarines equipped with a total of eight Kalibr missiles were on combat duty in the Black Sea. "The missile threat is high," the force said.
This is a rare missile attack carried out by Russian warships in recent weeks, in the context of the Black Sea Fleet's operations being significantly affected by attacks by Ukrainian suicide drone boats.
Ukrainian Navy spokesman Dmytro Pletenchuk said on November 9 that Russia had moved many warships of the Black Sea Fleet in Sevastopol to the port city of Novorossiysk, more than 300 km east of the old location, to preserve its forces against the risk of being attacked by Ukraine.
Pletenchuk believed at the time that the Russian warship would not be able to continue launching missiles against Ukraine, because the Novorossiysk naval port did not have the equipment to load Kalibr missiles. It is not clear whether the latest Russian attack was carried out with existing missiles on board or recently loaded.
President Volodymyr Zelenksy said on November 17 that attacks by Ukrainian drone boats had forced Russian forces to retreat in the Black Sea. "We have gained superiority in the Black Sea. Russia can no longer use the Black Sea as a springboard for its operations," he said.
Location Black Sea. Graphic: Guardian
Kalibr is one of the most modern and important weapons in the Russian military. The missile model deployed in the war in Ukraine is the 3M14 ground attack version with a range of 2,500 km and a warhead weighing more than 400 kg, capable of hitting any target in Ukraine if launched from the Black Sea.
The missile is equipped with a GLONASS satellite navigation system and inertial guidance, along with an ARGS-14E radar seeker with a range of 20 km to track targets with high radar reflectivity. The 3M14 uses an altimeter and terrain image matching system, allowing the missile to fly close to the ground to minimize the possibility of being detected, giving the enemy less reaction time.
Vu Anh (According to Zvezda, Reuters )
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