Russian warships on standby in the Black Sea, missiles ready to fire

A Russian warship carrying Kalibr cruise missiles (Photo: Tass).

"The risk of missile attack is very high. The enemy has put three missile-carrying ships on combat duty in the Black Sea. A total of 24 Kalibr missiles are ready to fire," Oleh Kiper, head of the Odessa military administration, announced on Telegram on December 31.

Mr Kiper urged people in Odessa to heed air strike warnings and act quickly.

On the evening of December 31, an air strike alert was issued across Ukraine after a MiG-31K fighter jet capable of carrying Kinzhal missiles took off in Russia.

Earlier, in the early hours of December 29, Russia launched one of the most intense airstrikes on Ukraine since the beginning of the war, launching 158 missiles and drones at targets including infrastructure, industrial facilities and military facilities across Ukraine. Ukrainian officials confirmed that at least 31 people were killed and more than 160 were injured in the latest Russian airstrikes.

In recent times, the Russian military has carried out many raids using Kalibr cruise missiles from warships in the Black Sea against Ukraine. These attacks have caused serious damage to people and property on the Ukrainian side. However, some of Russia's Kalibr missiles were also shot down during the raids.

The 3M14 Kalibr (NATO reporting name SS-N-30A) is a land-attack cruise missile (LACM) and is an improved version of the 3M-14E "Club" LACM. The missile has an estimated range of 1,500km to 2,000km and is currently a strategic weapon ensuring the Russian Navy's land attack capability.

The Kalibr carries a 450kg warhead and can be equipped with both conventional and nuclear weapons. The missile is 6.2m long and has a turbofan engine.

In the Ukrainian battlefield, the Kalibr cruise missile is one of the main long-range attack weapons of the Russian army. The Russian Navy has plans to deploy Kalibr on all submarines, corvettes, and surface ships using nuclear or conventional power.

Ukrainian Air Force Commander Mykola Oleshchuk announced on December 31 that the Ukrainian Air Force has shot down 85% of the missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) launched by Russia into the country since the conflict began in February 2022.

According to Mr. Meatchuk, Ukrainian forces destroyed 1,709 Russian missiles of various types, including Kh-101/555/55, Kalibr, Iskander-K, Shahed-136/131.

"Several successful operations were carried out (in 2023) to bring down Russian aircraft attacking Ukraine with guided bombs and other weapons of destruction," the Ukrainian Air Force Commander added.

The Black Sea is a flashpoint in the war in Ukraine. Last week, Ukraine claimed to have destroyed the Russian landing ship Novocherkassk while it was anchored in the Crimean port of Feodosia.

Open-source news site Oryx estimates that 13 Russian ships have been destroyed and seven damaged since the conflict began in February 2022. Among them is the guided-missile cruiser Moskva, which was the flagship of the Black Sea Fleet until it was sunk by a Ukrainian anti-ship missile in April 2022.

Lieutenant General Ben Hodges, former commander of the US Army in Europe, said Ukraine is trying to push Russia's Black Sea Fleet out of Crimea.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-gioi/tau-chien-nga-truc-chien-o-bien-den-dan-ten-lua-san-sang-khai-hoa-20240101094754931.htm