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Russia Plans 800-km Missile Test, Threatening Western Ukraine
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Russia plans to complete final tests of a new type of ballistic missile with a range of up to 800 kilometers by the end of this year.
Vadym Skibitskyi, Deputy Chief of the Main Directorate of Intelligence of Ukraine’s Defense Ministry, announced the development during a meeting of the Ukraine-NATO Interparliamentary Council.
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During these upcoming tests, Russian forces may attempt to target locations across western Ukraine using a new type of ballistic missile engineered with an extended strike envelope of up to 800 kilometers. Built with an enlarged solid-fuel motor and enhanced launcher structures, this extended-range development aims to allow Russian forces to hit critical infrastructure and logistics hubs in Ukraine.
Skibitskyi also stated that Russia lost 43,000 soldiers in action during August while enlisting only 39,000 new personnel.
“The General Staff of the Russian army believes that intensifying mobilization measures is the only way to achieve its main goals: the complete occupation of the Ukrainian Donbas and securing the strategic initiative,” the intelligence representative explained.
Furthermore, Skibitskyi warned that Russia intends to block Ukraine’s access to the Black Sea and attempt to pull Belarus into Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, as well as into hybrid operations aimed at NATO.
“As of today, we do not see real indicators of the preparation of actual strike groups on the territory of Belarus, but we remember January-February 2022. At the same time, according to our estimates, we consider it quite likely that Belarus will continue to provide support for Russian hybrid measures, offering its own territory to create pressure on the border with NATO states and increase the intensity of information and psychological operations,” Skibitskyi noted.
He said that Russia remains a threat to both Ukraine and Europe, while expressing gratitude to international partners for their ongoing support.
Earlier this summer, Russian troops deployed an upgraded 9M723-2 ballistic missile, also known as the Iskander-1000, during a combined strike on Kyiv.
That weapon forms part of the Bora-M missile system. Ukrainian intelligence noted that a larger engine and expanded launcher allow the upgraded missile to reach targets up to 550 kilometers away, compared to the 390-kilometer range of the older 9M723-1 model, while other components remain identical.
On September 8, Romanian authorities scrambled two F-18 fighter jets after radar systems detected an unidentified target breaching the nation's airspace 18 kilometers north of the town of Roman.
The alert triggered air sirens across local communities, while neighboring Moldovan officials reported that a drone, preliminarily identified as a Shahed, had entered their territory shortly before the incident.
The flight operations followed a similar event on August 27, when five drones crossed into Moldovan airspace during an aerial assault on Ukraine, an action Moldovan President Maia Sandu characterized as an attempt at intimidation.
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