The Russian Armed Forces attacked Ukraine with a record number of Iskander-M missiles: air defense could not shoot down a single one, media

As the publication "The Insider" reported with reference to the data of the Air Force of Ukraine, this time a record number of launched ballistic missiles "Iskander-M"/KN-23 was recorded. Air defense systems failed to intercept any of them. According to the Air Force, the enemy launched a total of 357 air attack weapons, including 320 attack drones and 37 missiles of various types. Of them, 28 were ballistic, and the rest were aeroballistic and cruise missiles.

The main directions of the attack were the Poltava and Kharkiv regions, where the enemy tried to hit energy infrastructure facilities. As part of the missile attack, it was recorded: Air defense forces destroyed or suppressed 288 air targets, mainly Shahed and Gerber attack drones.

At the same time, part of the missiles, according to the Air Force, were "suppressed without specifying the type" - presumably, we are talking about weapons that lost navigation or were affected by radio-electronic influence. Despite the work of the Air Defense Forces, 14 settlements were hit directly, and in two more cases debris from downed aircraft caused destruction. In addition, 18 missiles lost their location tracking, which makes it impossible to confirm the results of their damage.

The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, reported that the strikes hit energy and civil infrastructure facilities in the Vinnytsia, Sumy, and Poltava regions. A post office building was damaged in Nizhyn (Chernihiv region), one person was injured. In Kharkiv Oblast, there have been recorded hits on the unit of the State Emergency Service, and there are victims.

The head of state emphasized that Russia is using "double terror" by repeatedly striking places where rescuers and repair crews are working. In addition, the enemy uses drones with cluster munitions, which increases the risk of casualties among the civilian population. As previously reported by the Financial Times, Russia has upgraded its Iskander-M and Kinjal missiles, which now more effectively evade air defense systems.

Missiles perform sharp maneuvers or dives in the final part of the trajectory, making it difficult to intercept even for Patriot systems. The Patriot and SAMP/T anti-aircraft missile complexes of Ukraine do not have time to react to the maneuvers of the Russian Iskander and Kinzhal missiles, because they are rushing to the ground at a higher speed than before.

According to the FT, in August Ukrainian air defense managed to shoot down about 37% of Russian ballistic missiles, and in September - only 6%. These conclusions are confirmed by the report of the intelligence department of the US Department of Defense, which refers to "tactical improvements" to Russian missiles that increase their resistance to interception.