Ukraine Hunts Russian Missile Launchers So Hard Moscow Pulls Them 100 Km Back

Ukraine’s intensified hunt for Russian missile systems has reportedly forced Moscow to move some launchers roughly twice as far from the Ukrainian border, creating new range problems for shorter-range weapons, RBC-Ukraine reported on October 1.

According to RBC-Ukraine sources, Russian forces had previously launched ballistic missiles from positions around 100 kilometers, or 62 miles, from Ukraine.

Over the past several weeks, however, Ukrainian forces have stepped up efforts to locate and strike the launchers themselves.

That pressure has reportedly pushed some Russian systems back to positions roughly 200 kilometers, or 124 miles, from the border.

The withdrawal does more than make the launchers harder for Ukraine to reach. It can also reduce which Ukrainian targets some Russian missiles are capable of hitting.

One source specifically pointed to the RM-48U, a surface-to-surface weapon adapted for Russia’s S-300 and S-400 systems.

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The missile’s range is reported to be no more than about 250 kilometers, or 155 miles.

If launchers carrying such weapons are positioned approximately 200 kilometers from Ukraine’s border, their remaining reach inside Ukrainian territory becomes significantly more limited.

Previously, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy revealed that Ukrainian forces struck a Russian Iskander ballistic missile launcher near the border in a rare and potentially significant operation aimed at destroying Moscow’s missile systems before they can fire.

“We hit an Iskander launcher near our borders. I’m grateful to our soldiers who carry this out. This is our operation of hunting their systems that are positioned nearby,” the President said.

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