Russia employs two strategies in missile strikes on Ukraine — expert

Anatolii Khrapchynskyi, reserve officer of the Ukrainian Air Force and development director at a defense enterprise, revealed this on Espreso TV.

"Zircon missiles are an anti-ship type of missile. I believe that when Russian forces attacked Vinnytsia with this missile, they were looking for some American destroyer there, which is why they directed the missile to that location. And precisely because they didn't find any destroyer there, this missile didn't hit anything," Khrapchynskyi explained.

The expert noted that the weapons systems Russians use to intimidate Ukraine are often very expensive.

"There are two approaches that Russia actively employs. The first is intimidation, as in the case of Oreshnik. The second is testing their strike weapons, which they then want to actively sell around the world. Since the Zircon is quite a promising missile for sale on international markets, for example, in Arabian Peninsula countries, they're trying to test it and gain operational experience so they can later claim that these missiles have been tested in combat conditions. The same applies to Kinzhals and any other expensive weaponry. For instance, Oreshnik cost Russia over $50 million, whereas the strike using Shahed drones and cruise missiles on the same night they used Oreshnik cost Russia $12.5 million," he added.

• On the night of Tuesday, January 20, the Russian army attacked Ukraine with Zircon anti-ship missiles, Iskander-M/S-300 ballistic missiles, Kh-101 cruise missiles, and hundreds of drones. Air defense forces neutralized 342 enemy aerial targets.