Russia sees cruise missiles as key weapon to disrupt Ukrainian counteroffensive – British Ministry of Defense

This was reported by the British Ministry of Defense on Twitter.

It is reported that on the night of May 9, 2023, the ships of the Russian Black Sea Fleet fired eight Kalibr cruise missiles at the territory of Ukraine to strike ground targets. This was only the second use of these missiles by the Russian Navy since March 9, 2023.

It is added that by March 2023, the Russian Navy had repeatedly launched these missiles.

"Russia likely temporarily suspended using these weapons because it wanted to rebuild its reserve stocks. In the short-term, Russia likely sees LACM as a key capability to strike deep into Ukraine to disrupt anticipated Ukrainian counter-offensives," the report says.

However, according to British intelligence, in a more strategic sense, Russia also believes that Kalibr and other cruise missiles play an important role in any hypothetical conflict with NATO.

It is noted that how to use these scarce and expensive weapons is one of the many dilemmas facing Russian commanders as the war in Ukraine has lasted much longer than they originally planned. 

• On the morning of May 9, air alerts were declared across Ukraine. In the Kyiv region, air defence systems shot down 15 Russian missiles: debris fell in the Holosiivskyi and Shevchenkivskyi districts of the capital, and there were also some in the region. Russia attacked the Cherkasy region with two missiles.