Russian army shells Ukraine with cruise missiles with nuclear warhead imitator

Defense Express, Ukrainian information and consulting company specializing in reviewing military equipment, reports.

On November 17, Kyiv air defense shot down at least two cruise missiles. One of them was of X-55 type, which did not have a warhead. Instead of it, there is "screwed" block that acts as imitator of nuclear warhead: "For this strike, Russian troops took at least one X-55 from their "nuclear arsenal", "unscrewed" nuclear warhead from this missile and replaced it with empty "block". That's how they shot across Ukraine".

Agency explains that Russia usually used missiles of X-555 type for strikes - this is "non-nuclear" modification of X-55 missile, modified for conventional warhead.

Kh-55 is Soviet missile that was originally developed specifically as a carrier of nuclear weapons, under so-called "special warpart (warhead)" (this is how nuclear warhead is designated in Soviet and Russian military jargon).

Such replacement may have several explanations: "Russian military involved in preparation and execution of another strike simply "took under cover" instruction "from above" to ensure mass use of cruise missiles on November 17. That is why they also used Kh-55 with nuclear warhead simulator. But even this option already shows that stockpile of cruise missiles in Russian Federation is being depleted to critical level for Kremlin.

Agency writes that another possible explanation would be that Russians deliberately used Kh-55 with "empty" nuclear warhead simulator to create the effect of overloading Ukrainian air defenses.

"This option even more clearly shows that Russian missile stockpile is running out. Because even at the beginning of war, Russians used "expendable material" to "overload" Ukrainian anti-aircraft defense - for example, Soviet Tu-243 drones. Not scarce missiles for delivering nuclear weapons", the publication writes.