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Ukraine’s Cabinet Building Reportedly Hit by a Russian Iskander-K Missile—Its 450-kg Warhead Didn’t Explode
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![Photo of Vlad Litnarovych]( "Photo of Vlad Litnarovych")
A Russian Iskander-K cruise missile slammed into Ukraine’s Cabinet of Ministers building during Moscow’s overnight mass strike on September 7, carrying a 450-kilogram warhead that failed to detonate, according to an analysis of missile fragments obtained by Ukrainian defense media Defense Express on September 8.
The finding debunks early assumptions that the government complex in central Kyiv had been hit by a Shahed drone. Instead, investigators confirmed it was struck by a 9M727 cruise missile, part of Russia’s Iskander operational-tactical missile system.
Although the warhead did not explode, fuel from the missile’s tanks ignited, sparking a fire on the upper floors of the Cabinet building, Defense Express noted.
Ukraine’s Air Force reported that Russia launched nine Iskander cruise missiles during the attack, four of which were intercepted.
The barrage also included four ballistic missiles—none of which were shot down—and an unprecedented 810 drones of various types. Ukrainian defenses managed to destroy 747 of them.
The 9M727, also known as the Iskander-K or R-500, is believed to be a land-based variant of the Kalibr cruise missile, Defense Express wrote.
Russia has relied on it extensively in strikes against Ukrainian cities. One of its most notorious uses was the 2023 strike on Chernihiv’s drama theater.
Like much of Russia’s missile arsenal, the 9M727 incorporates Western-made microelectronics sourced from civilian markets, many of them manufactured in China.
Defense Express stressed that if the missile’s 450-kg warhead had detonated as intended, the scale of destruction to Ukraine’s central government building would have been vastly greater.
Earlier, US Presidential Envoy Keith Kellogg stated that Russia’s missile strike on a government building in Kyiv cannot be seen as a signal of Moscow’s readiness to end the war through diplomacy.
