Ukrainian strike on Iskanders stops likely Russian attack — but what weapon was used?

Defense Express writes about it.

The General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces confirmed that one Russian Iskander missile launcher was destroyed and two others were heavily damaged in a missile strike near Klintsy, in Russia’s Bryansk region, just 50 kilometers from the Ukrainian border.

The Iskanders belonged to Russia’s 26th Missile Brigade, the first to fully switch to these launchers and the same unit responsible for the deadly attack on Chernihiv’s Drama Theater in August 2023.

The location of the strike suggests the missile systems were likely being prepared for attacks on northern Ukraine, possibly targeting Chernihiv or even Kyiv.

Military experts consider the operation particularly difficult. “This operation could be particularly difficult to plan and implement,” the report noted, highlighting the precision and timing required to strike the mobile launchers before they relocated.

What makes this event especially significant is that it may be the first visually confirmed case of Ukrainian forces destroying Iskander systems at their launch positions. The military likely had to predict the timing and routes of the launchers, a task that required intelligence and speed.

There’s also mystery around what specific missile system Ukraine used. As the article points out, “a separate intrigue is what type of missile weapons our military could have used.”

Based on available information about Russia's plans, the Ukrainian military should have chosen missile systems capable of quickly and effectively destroying Russian operational-tactical missile systems. At the same time, they could have implemented support measures to neutralize Russian air defenses and other systems that might interfere with the Ukrainian missile forces’ operations, Defense Express concludes.

• The Armed Forces of Ukraine launched a missile strike on a Russian missile forces concentration area, specifically targeting and destroying Iskander missile systems.