Russia's Iskander, KN-23 strike on Kyiv: planned operation or Putin's spiteful whim?

Defense Express reported the information.

Russian forces launched long-range strikes on Kyiv early this morning, December 20, using five Iskander and/or North Korean KN-23 ballistic missiles. Ukraine's Air Forces also reported the takeoff of MiG-31K aircraft, which are carriers of the Kh-47 Kinzhal, although they did not appear to launch any.

In any case, all the missiles were successfully intercepted, but one warhead was not destroyed and exploded near a business center in the city center. It is challenging to determine which specific targets Russia chose, and given the accuracy of the KN-23, the city itself could have been the target without a specific object in mind.

“Given that yesterday, Russian leader Putin conducted his 'session' of psychosis under the guise of the 'year-end summary,' where he once again brandished his Oreshnik, officially being called a 'dumbass' at the state level, it raises the question of whether this strike was a planned action or merely a whim of the offended dumbass,” the outlet added.

Defense Express notes that Moscow is well aware of the missile defense systems in Kyiv. On May 16, 2023, Russia launched its largest targeted attack using 16 Iskander ballistic missiles, the Kinzhal air-launched ballistic missile, and S-400 missiles, along with cruise missiles and drones. This attack was successfully repelled, after which Russia began using ballistic missiles against targets in the capital city only during combined mass attacks.

Today’s attack involved only the use of ballistic and aeroballistic missiles, without the deployment of cruise missiles or drones. It is important to note that preparing cruise missiles for use requires considerable time - strategic bombers move to airbases for reloading, missiles are programmed and mounted onto carriers. Preparing naval-based cruise missiles like the Kalibr also involves similar delays. Therefore, if the strike had been planned in advance, it was most likely intended to be a combined one.

At the same time, Russia's Ministry of Defense has already claimed that this attack was supposedly a response to the strike on the Kamensky solid rocket fuel production facility in the Rostov region, carried out with ATACMS and Storm Shadow missiles two days earlier, on December 18. Thus, it is most likely that today's attack on Kyiv was the result of Putin's whim, demanding a retaliatory strike, though not yet one born of "offense."