Ukrainian Air Force Commander Nikolai Oleschuk said on Saturday that the Kh-22 missile could be detected based on its altitude and flight speed when it was launched, but accurate identification was lost by hundreds of meters during its flight. Ukraine’s air defense systems are so effective that they can detect the Kh-22, but cannot shoot it down. “We don’t have any type of weapon that can destroy the missile,” he said.
Russia’s Kh-22 missile weighs 950 kg
Russia has fired 210 missiles since launching its offensive against Ukraine. Ukraine’s military, armed with lethal Western weapons, has not been able to destroy any of these Russian missiles. Oleschuk said the Kh-22 missile weighs 950 kg and has a precision strike range of up to 600 km. He also said that only a few air defense systems in the West can fire this missile. He was referring to America’s Patriot missile defense system.
Meanwhile, the death toll from a Russian missile attack on a residential building in the southeastern Ukrainian city of Dnipro on Sunday rose to 29. Meanwhile, rescue workers in Ukraine continued to struggle to pull survivors from the rubble. A Russian missile hit the building the other day. According to the city government, emergency services crews were digging through the rubble of the high-rise building in the cold night. According to the Associated Press-Frontline War Crimes Watch Project, this is the highest civilian death toll in a single location since September 30.
Russia launched 33 cruise missiles on Saturday alone
Russians attacked several cities in Ukraine on Saturday. The capital Kyiv and the northeastern city of Kharkiv were also targeted, ending a two-week lull in Ukraine’s energy infrastructure and urban centers. Russia admitted to launching the missile on Sunday but did not mention the residential building in Dnipro. According to the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, General Valery Salushny, Russia fired 33 cruise missiles on Saturday, of which 21 were shot down.
Cranes were used to rescue people trapped on the upper floors of a residential building in the city of Dnipro. About 1,700 people lived in this building. Some signaled for help by turning on the flashlight on their mobile phones. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said at least 73 people had been injured and 39 had been rescued as of Sunday afternoon. On Sunday afternoon, the Dnipro government announced that 43 people were missing.
