kalibr land attack cruise missiles

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What to know about the long-range cruise missile Russia says it fired

Russian naval forces launched long-range cruise missiles on Tuesday evening from the waters off Sevastopol, a port city in Russia-held Crimea, according to expert analysis of video verified by The Washington Post.

Russia said the 3M-14 Kalibr cruise missile attack destroyed a major Ukrainian arsenal.

Understanding the weapons that have drawn the world’s attention since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine

A v ideo filmed by a witness from the Sevastopol waterfront on Tuesday shows at least four projectiles being fired from the water. Geolocation of the video by The Post shows the missiles appear to be traveling northwest, away from the city. As the narrator recites the date and location, the camera pans to show his surroundings.

“We thought it was a plane flying,” the narrator says. “It’s normal that planes fly here. But shooting is something serious.”

Additional video filmed around the same time shows eight flares with long tails that appear to be airborne missiles flying over the Black Sea. Both videos were verified by The Post.

Footage shared by the Russian defense ministry on social media shows large fireballs emanating from a warship where the ministry said Russian forces had fired Kalibr cruise missiles toward military assets in Orzhev, a village outside of the city of Rivne. Rivne is located more than 200 miles west of Kyiv and would be within the range a 3M-14 Kalibr missile could travel if it was fired from Sevastopol.

The tightly cropped video first shows multiple large explosions in succession above a ship, while someone off camera counts, “First, second, third, fourth.” The video then cuts to a wider view of a sunset where the long tails of the eight missiles are visible. The Post was not able to verify the location of this launch.

What you need to know about hypersonic missiles, which Biden says Russia used against Ukraine

Video reportedly of a Russian Project 21631 Buyan-M small missile ship launching 8 Kalibr-NK cruise missiles from near Sevastopol. https://t.co/GcWqUpoXLh pic.twitter.com/VvU3l5yYCK — Rob Lee (@RALee85) March 22, 2022

“As a result of the strike, a large depot of weapons and military equipment of the Ukrainian troops, including those received from Western countries, was destroyed,” a statement on the ministry’s Telegram channel said.

U.S. officials said they could not confirm that the weapons had been used. Ukrainian authorities have not confirmed the deployment of the missiles or the destruction of an arsenal near Rivne.

The Post could not independently verify Russia’s claim that a weapons depot had been destroyed.

Ian Williams, deputy director of the missile defense project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said he was nearly positive the videos showed the launch of 3M-14 Kalibr cruise missiles.

“These are Russia’s long-range naval sea-based cruise missiles, similar to the U.S. Tomahawk,” he told The Post in an email. “They use satellite navigation along with some onboard inertial guidance.”

“This was almost certainly launched by the Russian Black Sea Fleet,” Mark Cancian, senior adviser for the international security program at CSIS, said in an email. Kalibr missiles are “at the high end of Russian capabilities,” he added. “Russia uses them to attack the highest priority targets. They seem to be doing more of that in western Ukraine. It may be part of an effort to attack strategic targets, that is, targets that matter in the long war.”

The 3M-14 or SS-N-30A cruise missile , commonly referred to as the Kalibr missile, can be fired from ships or submarines toward land targets. It can travel a maximum range of about 1,550 miles, according to the CSIS Missile Defense Project.

3M14 Kalibr

Stabilizers

20 feet, 4 inches

6 foot person for scale

Pop-out wings

Control fins

The missiles, designed to penetrate the air defenses of stationary ground targets, fly autonomously and largely horizontally at low altitude, along preprogrammed waypoints. Their route can be updated midcourse via satellite communication. Cruise missiles can be highly accurate compared to ballistic missiles.

Low altitude

flight path,

by satellite

Approximate 1,550 mile range

Not to scale

3M14T Kalibr

flight path, parallel to

Low altitude flight path, parallel to ground

Tracks terrain

during flight

Route can be updated through satellites

The standard 3M14T land-attack missile reportedly contains a nearly 1,000-pound high explosive warhead. It is often used to attack storage facilities, command posts, seaports and airports.

Russia stuck barracks in the southern port city of Mykolaiv with a Kalibr missile earlier this month, the New York Times reported , killing at least eight Ukrainian soldiers who had been sleeping there. The region’s governor said at least 19 others were wounded.

A Pentagon official said at a background briefing Wednesday that the United States still assessed that Russia has “the vast majority” of its inventory of surface-to-air missiles and cruise missiles.

Russia first used the SS-N-30A Kalibr missile in Syria in October 2015, when it launched 26 missiles from Russian naval vessels in the Caspian Sea, at forces fighting the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Dan Lamothe contributed to this report.

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• 3M-14 Kalibr (SS-N-30A)

Russia’s Kalibr cruise missiles are believed to be the land-attack version the Klub family cruise missiles, yet, not much is currently known about these variations. The 3M-14T Kalibr-NK is a land-attack cruise missile carried by Russia’s surface vessels. Reports put its max range at 1,500 – 2,500 km. In October and November 2015, Russia launched a salvo of Kalibr missiles from the Caspian Sea at ISIS targets inside Syria. The Kalibr-NK cruise missiles were launched from a Russian Gepard-class frigate and Buyan-M-class corvettes and travelled 1,500 km to reach their targets. It has been reported it is capable of carrying a 450 kg conventional or (reported) nuclear warhead.

The missile is believed to fly 64 ft above the sea and 164 ft above the ground at speeds up to 965 km/hour. It is believed to be guided, using GPS and terminal-phase active radar seekers to achieve a reported three m CEP. The 3M-14K Kalibr-PL is similar to the 3M-14T except that is launched from a submarine. This variant was reported to have been launched from an improved Kilo-class submarine in the Mediterranean to strike targets inside Syria in December 2015. Russia plans to equip most of its submarines and surface ships with the respective versions of the Klub anti-ship and Kalibr land-attack cruise missiles. This will include ships in Russia’s Baltic Sea, Black Sea, Caspian Sea, Northern, and Pacific Fleets. Novator Design Bureau, the designers of the Klub launch system, have developed a shipping container version of the launcher, capable of holding up to four missiles. This shipping container version allows the cruise missile to be forward deployed on ships, trucks, and trains without detection.

Strategic Implications

The Russian plan to equip its submarines and surface ships with the Kalibr cruise missile poses a serious threat to the U.S. ability to project force across the globe. The Russian ships that carried out the 2015 strike all had a displacement around or under 1,000 tons.  The 26 Kalibr missiles reportedly traveled 1,800 km, a significant distance for missiles launched from such small vessels. The small size of the Russian ships that carried out the strike offers them unique strategic opportunities, not to mention the fact that these naval vessels are relatively inexpensive. Despite significant Russian ground assets in Syria capable of carrying out such a strike, Russia elected to demonstrate its improvement with a longer-range sea-based launch. According to a U.S. official, this was done intentionally to display these enhanced capabilities. Beyond the immediate ramifications of the Russian strike on Syria with Kalibr cruise missiles, the strike showed that Russia has potentially strengthened its A2/AD capabilities to further limit US military operations in contested regions, which, in turn, will allow Russia to continue conducting hybrid warfare tactics and to punch above its own weight militarily.

Cavas, Christopher P. “Is Caspian Sea Fleet a Game-Changer.” Defense News . October 11, 2015. http://www.defensenews.com/story/defense/naval/ships/2015/10/11/caspian-sea-russia-navy-missiles-attack-strike-military-naval-syria-frigate-corvette-lcs-littoral-combat-ship/73671188/

Lewis, Jeffrey. “Sokov on Russian Cruise Missiles.”  Arms Control Wonk . August 25, 2015. http://www.armscontrolwonk.com/archive/207801/sokov-on-russian-cruise-missiles/.

Akulov, Andrei. “Kalibr: Russia’s Naval System Upping Cruise Missile Game.”  Strategic Culture Foundation.  May 24, 2016. http://www.strategic-culture.org/news/2016/05/24/kalibr-russia-naval-system-upping-cruise-missile-game.html.

Johnson, Richard. “How Russia fired missiles at Syria from 1,000 miles away.”  The Washington Post . October 23, 2015. https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/world/russian-cruise-missile/.

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Russian Navy to upgrade vessels with Kalibr cruise missiles

MOSCOW — Russia plans to equip several Navy vessels using Kalibr missiles, a weapon with which one naval policy expert predicts the country will more widely arm its fleet.

Russia recently attacked Ukraine using Kalibr cruise missiles, among other projectiles.

Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu announced Tuesday the future Lada-class submarine Kronstadt, which is under construction, will be able to fire Kalibr cruise missiles . That same day, state-run news agency Tass reported the corvette Steregushchiy will receive a new Kalibr-NK missile system during modernization work at the Kronstadt Marine Plant.

And Mikhail Budnichenko, CEO of the shipyard Sevmash, said earlier this month the nuclear missile cruiser Admiral Nakhimov will be armed with Kalibr-NK missiles, following repairs and modernization work.

Submarine construction

The keel laying of the diesel-electric submarine Kronstadt took place in 2005, but construction was suspended. It resumed in 2013 and is ongoing, after which the boat will join the Northern Fleet .

The transfer to the fleet was planned in 2019, but was postponed several times due to noncompliance with Defence Ministry requirements. The fleet will likely take delivery of the boat this year, according to the Russian naval policy expert, who spoke to Defense News on the condition of anonymity for security reasons.

The submarine is expected to have a launcher that can hold 10 Кalibr missiles.

“Thanks to the Kalibr missiles, submarines will be able to hit not only land and sea targets, but also submarines,” the expert said.

Defense industry experts in 2017 estimated the cost of the Lada-class sub at $350 million, but increased the approximation to $700 million in 2018.

Corvette update

The corvette Steregushchiy was produced under the shipbuilding program dubbed Project 20380. It and the other ships made under that effort were equipped with the Uran anti-ship missile system, which consists of two four-container, inclined launchers with an ammunition set of eight Kh-35U missiles.

A Russian Steregushchiy-class corvette arrives at a Sudanese port on March 18, 2021. (Ibrahim Ishaq/AFP via Getty Images)

Now the lead ship of its class, the Steregushchiy — constructed 17 years ago — is undergoing a midlife update, during which it will receive a universal shipborne firing complex 3S14. That technology will allow the vessel to launch Kalibr missiles and, eventually, hypersonic Zircon missiles.

“The next ships of this class will also receive Kalibr missiles in the course of their modernization,” the naval expert said.

In an interview with a corporate newspaper, the CEO of the Kronstadt Marine Plant, Anatoly Beloev, said modernization of the Project 20380 corvette will not begin until the end of the spring or the beginning of the summer. By that time the plant is required to hand over a large landing ship to the Defence Ministry, which would make room for new projects. The timeline for the modernization work is not yet determined, Beloev said.

Per annual reports from the shipyard Severnaya Verf, which makes corvettes, it appears the cost of such as vessel in 2016 was 17-29 billion roubles (U.S. $224-382 million).

Warship work

The nuclear missile battlecruiser Admiral Nakhimov has undergone repairs and modernization since 2013. More than 150 enterprises have participated in the effort.

Last year, the installation of systems and equipment took place. The cruiser is currently at the outfitting quay, and it will begin trials in the spring of 2023, Budnichenko told a corporate magazine.

Delivery to the Navy was postponed several times, and the service is now expected to receive the ships in 2024.

As part of the modernization effort, the ship will carry 10 3S14 launchers, with eight Kalibr-NK cruise missiles in each, instead of 20 heavy supersonic Granit missiles.

In total, there will be 80 attack missiles on the vessel — a record number for the Russian surface fleet, according to the naval expert.

The Kalibr missile family is made up of several variants, including long–range cruise missiles and anti-submarine torpedoes. Russia decided as far back as the 1990s to equip naval platforms with the weapon.

Almost all newly built and most upgraded units receive this system, the naval expert said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Maxim Starchak is a Russia correspondent for Defense News. He previously worked as an editor for the Russian Defence Ministry and as an expert for the NATO Information Office in Moscow. He has covered Russian nuclear and defense issues for the Atlantic Council, the Center for European Policy Analysis, the Royal United Services Institute and more.

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Report: Russia Developing 4,500 Kilometer Range Kalibr-M

On January 8, Russia’s TASS news agency reported that Russia is developing a new 4,500 km range variant of the Kalibr land-attack cruise missile . According to an unnamed source in the Russian military-industrial complex, the longer range Kalibr-M is in early development and is planned to be deployed on frigates, nuclear submarines, and other surface ships by 2027. Currently, the Kalibr-M has a maximum range of 1,500-2,500 km. The source also noted that the new missile will have larger dimensions than current versions and a nearly 1,000 kg warhead. TASS could not confirm the information provided by the source, and Russian officials have yet to comment on this development.

Related Links:

New Kalibr-M cruise missile with range of over 4,500 km in development in Russia – source , TASS Russia reported to be developing longer-range Kalibr missile , IHS Jane’s Report: Russia Developing 4,500 Kilometer Kalibr-M Range Land-Attack Cruise Missile , The Diplomat

• International

February 18, 2023 Russia-Ukraine news

By Sophie Tanno, Matt Meyer , Adrienne Vogt and Tori B. Powell, CNN

Russia launches cruise missiles at Ukraine from the Black Sea, Kyiv says

From CNN's Sophie Jeong, Maria Kostenko and Duarte Mendonca

Russia has launched four cruise missiles at Ukraine from the Black Sea on Saturday, the Air Force Command of the Ukrainian Armed forces said Saturday on Telegram.

“On February 18 Russian occupation forces launched four Kalibr-type cruise missiles at Ukraine from the Black Sea area,” it said. “Two missiles were intercepted by the air defense.”

Andriy Yermak, the head of the office of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky , said Russia “is using strategic aircraft, in the airspace over the occupied territories in particular, launching missiles.”

Two explosions were reported in the Ukrainian city of Khmelnytskyi on Saturday, Serhiy Hamaliy, the head of the region's military administration, said in a post on Telegram.

One strike hit a military facility and the other hit near a public transport stop, the head of the regional military administration said in a Telegram post.

“The shock wave damaged civilian buildings, three educational facilities, hundreds of windows were shattered, and 11 cars were damaged,” said Serhiy Hamaliy, the head of the Khmelnytskyi region military administration.

“Two civilians have asked for medical help, a man and a woman. The man who received a shrapnel wound was inside the bus at the time. They both are in stable condition, and received necessary medical assistance,” Hamaliy’s post added.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also addressed the attack in a Telegram post on Saturday, saying, "The terrorist state does not stop trying to intimidate the civilian population."

He added that 10 regions of Ukraine have been shelled by Russian forces within the last day. 

"Fair punishment will be for anyone who perpetrates this continued terror. You will definitely have to answer. For every destroyed life. For every missile fired at Ukraine. For all the evil and suffering that Russia brought to our land," Zelensky added.

Vice President Harris says the US is "troubled" by China's support of Russia

From CNN’s Jasmine Wright

Vice President Kamala Harris said the US was “troubled” by China’s continued support of Russia since the war in Ukraine began, as the US continues to warn Beijing about its support for Moscow.

CNN has previously reported that China’s top diplomat will visit Russia this month, according to its Foreign Ministry, in the first visit to the country from a Chinese official in that role since Moscow’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.

“Of course, we have also seen nations like North Korea and Iran send weapons in support of Russia's brutal war. We are also troubled that Beijing has deepened its relationship with Moscow since the war began,” Harris said in a speech at the Munich Security Conference in Germany. “Looking ahead, any steps by China to provide lethal support to Russia would only reward aggression, continue the killing, and further undermine a rules based order,” she said.

Harris spoke of “strategic interests,” saying no nation is safe if one country can violate the sovereignty of another, a nod to China.

Reciting international rules and norms, Harris said the Western alliance’s response to Russia’s war is a reflection of how they have been upheld.

“Indeed, this moment, has tested our willingness to defend and uphold these rules and norms,” Harris said. “Other nations could feel emboldened to follow is violence example, other nations could feel emboldened to follow is violence example. Other authoritarian powers could seek to bend the world to their will, through coercion, disinformation, and even brute force. The international order, upon which we all rely, could be at risk,” Harris said.

The US faces diplomatic and national security tensions with China, which were heightened after the US shot down a Chinese spy balloon in recent weeks.

Ukrainian soldier says military in need of ammunition: "There are situations when there are not enough shells"

From CNN's Kostan Nechyporenko and Duarte Mendonca

Ukraine is in need of more ammunition to fight the war against Russia , a member of the country's 109th territorial defense brigade, Yehor Firsov, said on Friday night. 

“Of course, we need shells, shells, and, once again, shells. Because, frankly speaking, there are situations when there are not enough shells. Weapons are the first thing we need at the frontline,” Firsov told a Ukrainian national telethon.

Firsov, a former member of parliament who is now serving on the front lines, said there have been logistical improvements since the early days of Russia's invasion, but they could always use more hardware.

“Of course, we would all like more hardware because it covers infantrymen. Don't get me wrong -- if there is no artillery or tanks are not working and they are not covering the infantry, it is very, very difficult for the infantry. So the more hardware we have, the better,” Firsov said.

On Saturday at the Munich Security Council , the leaders of various allies of Ukraine, including the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, urged others to ramp up support for Ukraine, including ammunition production.

Firsov also addressed the impact of fatigue on the front lines. 

Asked about his assessment of the current state of the way, Firsov described it as “always tense,” saying that the momentum seems to change in waves.

“In recent months, there has been an enemy offensive here. It happens in waves. In some places, the enemy is making significant aggressive actions and infantry attacks. In some places, they ease their pressure a little. But there are constant enemy attacks using everything possible -- MLRS, tanks, mortars. All this is constant. Every day, sometimes even every hour,” he said, adding that such occurrences take a psychological toll on his fellow soldiers.

“Many fighters have some psychological fatigue. It is unavoidable -- you perform your function 24/7. Fatigue accumulates,” the soldier said.

Vice President Harris says US has formally determined Russia committed crimes against humanity

From CNN's Jasmine Wright

The US government has officially declared that Russia committed crimes against humanity during its war in Ukraine, Vice President Kamala Harris announced in Germany on Saturday.

“The United States has formally determined that Russia has committed crimes against humanity,” Harris said during a high-profile speech at the Munich Security Conference.

“And I say to all those who have perpetrated these crimes, and to their superiors who are complicit in those crimes, you will be held to account.”

Harris laid bare some of what could be used as evidence of Russia’s alleged crimes against humanity. She outlined specific instances that have peppered news clips and official reports from the United Nations.

“First, from the starting days of this unprovoked war, we have witnessed Russian forces engage in horrendous atrocities and war crimes,” the vice president said. “Russian forces have pursued a widespread and systemic attack against a civilian population -- gruesome acts of murder, torture, rape, and deportation. Execution-style killings, beating, and electrocution,” she added. “Russian authorities, have forcibly deported hundreds of thousands of people, from Ukraine to Russia, including children. They have cruelly separated children from their families.”

Harris's speech cited evidence of indiscriminate attacks that deliberately targeted civilians including the bombing of a maternity hospital that killed a pregnant mother and a theater in Mariupol where hundreds were killed. The vice president spoke of the horrific images out of Bucha that showed men and women shot and left to rot in the streets and reports by the United Nations of a four-year-old girl who was sexually assaulted by a Russian soldier.

“Barbaric and inhumane,” Harris said.

As it was when the US government declared Russia committed war crimes last March, it still remains to be seen whether there will be any accountability for those accused of carrying out the alleged crimes, and whether Russian President Vladimir Putin himself will be forced to bear any responsibility.

Still, Harris vowed that the US would “continue to support the judicial process.”

Some context: The latest proclamation comes after the US government announced that members of the Russian armed forces committed war crimes in Ukraine.

President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken have said it was their personal opinion that war crimes have taken place and Biden has gone as far as saying atrocities at the hands of Moscow’s troops qualify as “genocide.”

The decision to announce the official findings comes days before the anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Harris is in Germany as a part of the Biden administration’s intense efforts to show commitment to Ukraine’s sovereignty, and unity among western allies who have provided billions in aid, funding and weapons to combat Russia’s aggression. President Biden is scheduled to visit Poland on Monday.

UK PM to urge allies to "double down" on military support for Ukraine

From CNN's Duarte Mendonca 

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is expected to urge world leaders on Saturday to “double down” on military support for Ukraine.

In a speech that is set to be delivered at the Munich Security Conference , the UK prime minister will make an appeal for allies to provide the nation with “advanced, NATO-standard capabilities that they need for the future.”

“We must demonstrate that we’ll remain by their side, willing and able to help them defend their country again and again,” Sunak is expected to say at the conference.

“When Putin started this war, he gambled that our resolve would falter. Even now he is betting we will lose our nerve,” a copy of Sunak’s speech says.

Sunak will also reiterate the need to defend the security of Europe as well as the global order.

“What is at stake in this war is even greater than the security and sovereignty of one nation,” Sunak is expected to say, also adding that “it’s about the security and sovereignty of every nation.”

“Because Russia’s invasion, its abhorrent war crimes and irresponsible nuclear rhetoric are symptomatic of a broader threat to everything we believe in,” the speech says.

US Vice President Kamala Harris has joined world leaders at the Munich Security Conference in Germany, where the war in Ukraine is top of the agenda.

The conference comes just ahead of the anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine on February 24.

"No change" in Sweden and Finland's desire to join NATO "simultaneously," Finnish PM tells CNN

From CNN's Arnaud Siad and Ben Kirby

There is “no change” in Finland and Sweden’s desire to join NATO “simultaneously,” Finland’s Prime Minister Sanna Marin told CNN on Saturday.

“We’ve sent a very clear message: we want to join together with Sweden. At the same time, it’s not only because we are good neighbors and good partners. It’s also to do with very concrete matters," Marin told CNN's Chief International Anchor Christiane Amanpour while participating at a panel at the Munich Security Conference.

"The security planning of NATO in the whole north, it’s in the interest of us, but it’s also in the interest of NATO that Finland and Sweden will join simultaneously,”

“And we have sent very clear signal and a very clear message to Turkey and also Hungary, that hasn’t ratified yet, that we want to enter NATO together, and this is in the interest of everyone,” she added.

The Finnish PM was pressed to clarify whether there had been a change in Helsinki’s approach in light of NATO member Turkey’s current opposition to Sweden joining the defense alliance.

“No change. Of course we cannot influence and affect how some countries would ratify, it’s their decision. But our message is that we are willing to join and we prefer and want to join together,” she said.

On Tuesday, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg suggested Finland and Sweden could join separately.

“So the main question is not whether Finland and Sweden are ratified together. The main question is that they are both ratified as full members as soon as possible,” he said.

Some context: Sweden and Finland are relying on Turkey to support its bid for membership of NATO, in the light of Russia’s war on Ukraine.

Tensions between Sweden and Turkey have grown recently however, with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu reportedly accusing the  Swedish  government of being complicit in the burning of the Quran at a protest in  Stockholm last month.

Turkey has previously said Sweden must take a clearer stance against what it sees as terrorists, mainly Kurdish militants and a group it blames for a 2016 coup attempt, before Ankara approves its bid to join NATO.

Scholz warns it's "wise" to prepare for long war at Munich Security Conference

From CNN's Nic Robertson

World leaders are focusing on strategy and unity in the face of Russian aggression at the three-day Munich Security Conference in Germany, which kicked off on Friday. 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky , who made a speech via video link on Friday, continued to urge his Western allies to make speedy weapons deliveries. 

Zelensky also said he intends to attend the Munich security conference in person next year, predicting the war would be over by then. Unfortunately, if he had read the room, it would have told him they thought that statement was ambitious, with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz warning on Friday it would be "wise to prepare for a long war." 

US Vice President  Kamala Harris  joined world leaders at the conference, where the war in Ukraine is top of the agenda. 

Harris, in a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Friday, welcomed Berlin’s decision to send Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine. The leaders discussed how best to work together – particularly regarding how to uphold the values of democracy globally in the face of threats from China. 

The conference comes just ahead of the anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine on February 24. 

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell are among other top officials in attendance.

Seven voices reflect on one year of Putin’s war

From CNN Opinion

It’s the evening of February 23, 2022. In Kyiv, the boss of a news site relaxes with a bath and candles.

In Zaporizhzhia, a young woman goes to bed planning to celebrate her husband’s birthday in the morning.

In Moscow, a journalist happens to postpone his travel plans to Kyiv.

Within hours, their lives are all dramatically and radically transformed. The next day, Russian President Vladimir Putin launches his full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

In the space of a year, the war has  claimed tens of thousands of lives  and displaced millions more. It has unleashed  unfathomable atrocities , decimated cities, driven a  global food and energy crisis  and tested the resolve of western alliances.

We asked seven people close to the conflict – from  “fixers” in Ukraine , to  commentators in Moscow  – to reflect on the first anniversary of the invasion.

Read the full story here.

Outgunned Ukrainian pilots are taking the fight to Russia in ancient Soviet-era helicopters

From CNN's Sam Kiley and Olha Konovalova

Somewhere in the battle for the eastern Ukrainian town of Bakhmut,  Russian  soldiers are being torn apart, and burned, as the ground itself erupts when the rockets find their target. There’s no time to reflect – the effect of the rockets will get passed back to the pilots later. Their task now is to stay alive.

Ukraine’s losses are a national secret. But pilots and air crew in the Sikorsky Brigade have all lost close friends to Russian SAMs (Surface to Air Missiles).

Often shoulder launched, the man-portable missiles can send a helicopter into a ball of flame in seconds.

They’re hunted. Whether airborne or not. Ukraine’s air force and army aviators along with their planes and helicopters are priority prey for Russia’s missiles. They’re likely top of the Kremlin’s list.

CNN spent time embedded with the Sikorsky Brigade in eastern Ukraine operating from a secret base.

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Implications of Russia's Recent Long-Range Cruise Missile Test

On 6 April 2021, the Russian military announced that the Russian Navy had for the first time tested a Pacific long-range Kalibr cruise missile on a ground target in the Sea of Japan/East Sea. APLN members and international experts offer their analysis on the technical aspects, the political motivation, and the political, military and policy implications of this missile test.

Dr. Tanya Ogilvie-White

Senior Research Advisor at APLN, Director of the New Zealand Centre for Global Studies (NZCGS), and Senior Fellow at the Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs, Australian National University.

Russia’s Recent Missile Posturing Confirms Asia-Pacific Negotiations are Overdue The Asia-Pacific’s missile race is accelerating and the need to address it is getting more urgent.  The Russian navy’s launch of its deadly Kalibr missile in the Sea of Japan on 5 April is the most recent development in an uncontrolled missile competition, which was exacerbated by the collapse of the INF Treaty in 2019. The upgraded 3M-14 Kalibr missile, which Russia launched from its Pacific Fleet for the first time earlier this week, is a sophisticated, dual-capable sea-launched missile, which is designed to fly at extremely low altitudes, helping it evade detection. It provides the Russian military with the ability to launch long-range, surprise attacks against land and sea-based targets in the region. Although the primary intention behind the launch (and the decision to add the missile to the Pacific Fleet’s inventory) may be to signal to adversaries that Russia is capable of defending its interests along its Far East coast, the upgrade nevertheless significantly enhances Moscow’s power projection capabilities and will increase strategic tensions and escalation risks. It’s a dangerous development, and it should be raising red flags in capitals across the region. Rather than aping each in their rush for missile superiority, our region’s leaders should be prioritising strategic risk reduction. The best way to do this is via formal regional missile control negotiations, which are long overdue.

Dr Ogilvie-White is currently participating in the UNIDIR and IISS arms control dialogues. She is author of  Post-INF Arms Control in the Asia-Pacific: Political Viability and Implementation Challenges (London, UK: IISS, 2020) .

Łukasz Kulesa

Researcher at the Polish Institute of International Affairs (PISM) and Senior Associate at the European Leadership Network.

The April test launches  of two Kalibr long-range cruise missiles by the Russian frigate Marshal Shaposhnikov from the Sea of Japan  could be analyzed at two levels. At the operational level, it is not particularly surprising that this Pacific Fleet ship, which underwent substantial modernization and refit in the years 2016-2021, conducted trials of two variants of its new weaponry (for land-attack and anti-ship missions), as part of its return to service procedure. This is also consistent with the ongoing process of increasing precision strike capabilities of the Russian navy, which has already introduced Kalibr missiles into different classes of its surface ships and submarines, and used them in combat in Syria. At the political-strategic level, this can perhaps be seen as a signal to other states in the Asia-Pacific region that Russia has the capacity and credible means to back its diplomacy with military force, if and as needed. It also adds to the broader surge of interest and investments in long-range precision-strike missiles, including new hypersonic systems.  Various proposals to apply arms control instruments to some of these weapons and reduced their destabilizing impact have been formulated  and deserve to be examined, as alternatives to unconstrained missile arms race. But their military utility, verification challenges and dual-capable nature of some systems (including Kalibr) means that there is no silver bullet solution to the challenge.

Dr. Tytti Erästö

Senior Researcher in the SIPRI Nuclear Disarmament, Arms Control and Non-proliferation Programme.

After the cold war, the USA and its allies had an unmatched conventional capability largely based on high-precision weapons. One tool in the US precision-strike arsenal has been the Tomahawk SLCM, first showcased in the 1991 Persian Gulf war. Russia has long viewed US cruise missiles and other advanced conventional weapons–as well as its missile defenses–as a threat. In addition to relying on nuclear deterrence to compensate for conventional inferiority, Russia sought to catch up with the USA by developing its own advanced capabilities, including cruise missiles. Kalibr SLCM is one product of these Russian efforts. First deployed in 2015, it has been used as part of the Russian military operation in Syria. The recently tested missile does not seem to represent a significant new capability. Rather, the novel development is the large-scale deployment of the Kalibr SLCMs in the Pacific. The test likely served to train the Pacific Fleet on how to operate the missile. While Russian threat perceptions tend to focus on its Western border, it arguably views SLCMs in the Pacific as boosting conventional deterrence and providing cover for its ballistic missile submarine (SSBM) bases. In addition to offering a potential capability against China, the Russian SLCMs challenge US power projection efforts near Russia’s Eastern border. The deployment of Kalibr SLCM adds to the ongoing militarization in the Pacific. Although this missile type is not known to carry nuclear warheads, its dual-use nature could add to escalation risks in crisis.

Dmitry Stefanovich

Research Fellow with the Center for International Security, Primakov Institute of World Economy and International Relations (IMEMO RAS), and a Non-Resident Fellow with the Institute for Peace Research and Security Policy at the University of Hamburg (IFSH).

Launches of Kalibr-family cruise missiles (land-attack 3M14 and anti-ship 3M54) from modernized “Marshall Shaposhnikov” frigate symbolize the long-expected arrival of modern Russian long-range strike capabilities to the Far East*. Other remaining Udaloy-class ships (originally designed as surface combatants for anti-submarine warfare with limited surface attack capabilities) are also expected to be upgraded with new missiles, while the Russian shipbuilders struggle to deliver modern warships in substantial numbers. Compared to two 8-cell vertical launchers on “Shaposhnikov”, next upgraded ships can have twice as much on board. However, given the anti-submarine warfare legacy, as well as prevalence of relevant threats at the Pacific theater, at least some of the launch cells (or even up to 50% of those) will be occupied with anti-submarine guided missile of the Kalibr family – 91R. Still, the number of Russian land-attack sea-launched cruise missiles will be increasing rapidly in the nearest future. Six Kilo-class diesel submarines are built for the Russian Pacific fleet in Saint-Petersburg. Two of those together with the newly built Gremyaschiy corvette will arrive to the Pacific in 2021; Four Karakurt-class small missile ships are under construction in Komsomolsk-on-Amur; Legacy Oscar-II-class nuclear submarines are planned to receive relevant upgrades. Given the death of the INF Treaty, as soon as the US INF-range weapons arrive to the Western Pacific, Russia will be forced to react with testing, producing, and deploying land-based versions of Kalibr missiles in the region, as was announced by the Russian military-political leadership. Finally, Kalibr missile is dual-capable, but it is considered as a part of the Russian “non-nuclear deterrence” forces. Such duality is challenging, but it is safe to assume that under normal circumstances only conventional warheads are deployed on Kalibr-armed vessels. *There was some legacy land-attack cruise missile capability with late Soviet submarine-launched nuclear-tipped Granat cruise missiles, but it is generally assumed that those were put in storages under the Presidential Nuclear Initiatives and are being gradually dismantled due to their age.

Image: iStock, Angel Ha

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3M-54 Kalibr: Is Russia’s Most Advanced Cruise Missile Being Wasted in Ukraine?

The current war between Russia and Ukraine has seen a wide variety of sophistication in the weaponry on both sides. Although the Russians seem to have enjoyed the most success where they concentrate great numbers of such relatively simple but deadly weapons as tanks and artillery, they have also made considerable use of the most technologically advanced items in their arsenal.

These are the 3M-54 Kalibr cruise missile and its various derivatives.   

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History of the Kalibr

The 3M-54 Kalibr was developed by the Novator Design Bureau in 1994 as a counter to the American Tomahawk cruise missile and has been under production in various forms ever since. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization codenames it the SS-N-27 Sizzler.

Kalibrs launched from warships in the Mediterranean Sea were extensively used during the Russian involvement in the Syrian Civil War between October 2015 and December 2018.

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The kalibr’s stats.

With a length of 8.9 meters (29 feet) and a diameter of 5.33 meters (17.5 feet), the basic Kalibr is a multistage, solid-fuel turbojet with a modular propulsion system to accommodate five versions: two anti-ship, two anti-submarine and one for land targets. Depending on size, performance and launching platform, the other variants go under such designations as 3M14 Biryuza (“turquoise”), 3M-14T Kalibr-NK and 3M-14K Kalibr-PL. More advanced versions are still under development, to improve “combat efficiency.”   

Existing variants are capable of being fired from warships as small as a corvette, from submarines and from land vehicles. All use vertical launch systems. They reach their targets through a combination of inertial guidance plus terminal active radar homing, although more current variants have been modified to use satellite signals using a DSMAC (digital scene matching area correlator).

Range varies from 220 to 2,500 kilometers (140 to 1,550 miles), depending on whether the second propulsion stage is driving the warhead at a supersonic sprint or cruising along at subsonic speed for greater range.

The missile can carry from 400 to 500 kilograms (880 to 1,100 pounds) of high explosive or a nuclear warhead at Mach 0.8, 2.5 or 3.

The Kalibr in UKraine

After Syria, the next major usage of the Kalibr came on Feb. 24, 2022, when some 30 missiles helped herald the “special operation” in Ukraine. Above the cacophony of guns, the cruise missiles turn up from time to time in incidents that make the international news.  

Between June 25 and 26, 60 to 80 missiles were launched, of which 30 were aimed at Zhytomir, 10 of which were shot down short of their targets by Ukrainian defenses. On July 14, three Kalibrs hit the city center of Vinnytsia, killing about 20 people — three of them children. Ukraine reported that its defenses shot down two more of the missiles. On July 23, Maria Zakharova of the Russian Telegram reported that “Kalibr missiles destroyed military infrastructure in the port of Odesa, with a high-precision strike.” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy quickly denied that the Russian strikes had involved any tactical precision. 

The Russian military pays a price for the Kalibr’s capabilities, since each missile costs an average of $6.5 million each. Up for debate amid a war that has entered its sixth month is whether Russia’s most advanced missile is indeed being guided to vital military targets or simply joining the general barrage of roughly aimed ordnance, wasting its primary asset. Each side has its own appraisal, but the truth will ultimately be revealed over the battlefield.  

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Iskanders, Kalibrs, and beyond: Russian strikes on Ukraine and air defense's success

D uring the night of April 27, Russian occupiers launched a combined missile strike on Ukraine using various types of missiles. Air defense shot down 21 out of 34 missiles launched by the Russian Federation, according to the Telegram channel of Air Force Commander Mykola Oleshchuk.

"Fighter aircraft, anti-aircraft missile units of the Air Force, mobile fire groups and means of radio-electronic warfare of the Defense Forces of Ukraine were involved in repelling the enemy's air attack," he said.

Air defense successes

According to the general, as a result of the air battle, 21 aerial targets were destroyed:

・6 Kh-101/Kh-555 cruise missiles;

・8 Kh-59/Kh-69 guided aviation missiles;

・1 Iskander-K cruise missile;

・6 Kalibr cruise missiles.

Russian attack methods

Overall, the enemy deployed 34 air, ground, and sea-based missiles, including:

・9 Kh-101/Kh-555 cruise missiles from Tu-95MS strategic aircraft (launch area: Saratov region, Russia);

・9 Kh-59/Kh-69 guided aviation missiles (from the airspace over Belgorod region and the Azov Sea);

・2 S-300 surface-to-air guided missiles (from the Belgorod region, Russia);

・2 Iskander-K cruise missiles (from Crimea);

・4 Kh-47M2 Kinzhal aeroballistic missiles from MiG-31K aircraft (launched from the airspace over Ryazan and Tambov regions, Russia);

・8 Kalibr cruise missiles from the Black Sea.

Ukraine under attack

Russian forces launched another massive attack on Ukraine on April 27. This time, the occupiers used only missiles.

The main targets of the shelling were energy infrastructure objects in three regions - Dnipropetrovsk, Ivano-Frankivsk, and Lviv. Specifically, on the night of April 27, Russian occupiers attacked four DTEK thermal power plants. Casualties were reported. For more details on the aftermath, read the RBC-Ukraine material.

Kalibr: Savior of INF Treaty?

By Hans M. Kristensen

With a series of highly advertised sea- and air-launched cruise missile attacks against targets in Syria, the Russian government has demonstrated that it doesn’t have a military need for the controversial ground-launched cruise missile that the United States has accused Russia of developing and test-launching in violation of the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty.

Moreover, President Vladimir Putin has now publicly confirmed ( what everyone suspected ) that the sea- and air-launched cruise missiles can deliver both conventional and nuclear warheads and, therefore, can hold the same targets at risk. ( Click here to download the Russian Ministry of Defense’s drawing providing the Kalibr capabilities .)

The United States has publicly accused Russia of violating the INF treaty by developing, producing, and test-launching a ground-launched cruise missile (GLCM) to a distance of 500 kilometers (310 miles) or more. The U.S. government has not publicly identified the missile, which has allowed the Russian government to “play dumb” and pretend it doesn’t know what the U.S. government is talking about.

The lack of specificity has also allowed widespread speculations in the news media and on private web sites (this included) about which missile is the culprit.

As a result, U.S. government officials have now started to be a little more explicit about what the Russian missile is not . Instead, it is described as a new “state-of-the-art” ground-launched cruise missile that has been developed, produced, test-launched – but not yet deployed.

Whether or not one believes the U.S. accusation or the Russian denial, the latest cruise missile attacks in Syria demonstrate that there is no military need for Russia to develop a ground-launched cruise missile. The Kalibr SLCM finally gives Russia a long-range conventional SLCM similar to the Tomahawk SLCM the U.S. navy has been deploying since the 1980s.

What The INF Violation Is Not

Although the U.S. government has yet to publicly identify the GLCM by name, it has gradually responded to speculations about what it might be by providing more and more details about what the GLCM is not . Recently two senior U.S. officials privately explained about the INF violation that:

• it is not the R-500 cruise missile (Iskander-K);
• it is not the RS-26 road-mobile ballistic missile;
• it is not a sea-launched cruise missile test-launched from a ground launcher;
• it is not an air-launched cruise missile test-launched from a ground launcher;
• it is not a technical mistake;
• it is not one or two test slips;
• it is in development but has not yet been deployed.

Rose Gottemoeller, the U.S. under secretary of state for and international security, said in response to a question at the Brookings Institution in December 2014: “It is a ground-launched cruise missile. It is neither of the systems that you raised. It’s not the Iskander. It is not the other one, X-100. Is that what it is? Yeah, I’ve seen some of those reflections in the press and it’s not that one.” [The question was in fact about the X-101, sometimes used as a designation for the air-launched Kh-101, a conventional missile that also exists in a nuclear version known as the Kh-102.]

The explicit ruling out of the Iskander as an INF violation is important because numerous news media and private web sites over the past several years have claimed that the ballistic missile (SS-26; Iskander-M) has a range of 500 km (310 miles), possibly more. Such a range would be a violation of the INF. In contrast, the U.S. National Air and Space Intelligence Center (NASIC) has consistently listed the range as 300 km (186 miles). Likewise, the cruise missile known as Iskander-K (apparently the R-500) has also been widely rumored to have a range that violates the INF, some saying 2,000 km (1,243 miles) and some even up to 5,000 kilometers (3,107 miles). But Gottemoeller’s statement seems to undercut such rumors.

Gottemoeller told Congress in December 2015 that “we had no information or indication as of 2008 that the Russian Federation was violating the treaty. That information emerged in 2011.” And she repeated that “this it is not a technicality, a one off event, or a case of mistaken identity,” such as a SLCM launched from land.

Instead, U.S. officials have begun to be more explicit about the GLCM, saying that it involves “ a state-of-the-art ground-launched cruise missile that Russia has tested at ranges capable of threatening most of [the] European continent and out allies in Northeast Asia” (emphasis added). Apparently, the “state-of-the-art” phrase is intended to underscore that the missile is new and not something else mistaken for a GLCM.

Some believe the GLCM may be the 9M729 missile, and unidentified U.S. government sources say the missile is designated SSC-X-8 by the U.S. Intelligence Community.

Forget GLCM: Kalibr SLCM Can Do The Job

Whatever the GLCM is, the Russian cruise missile attacks on Syria over the past two months demonstrate that the Russian military doesn’t need the GLCM. Instead, existing sea- and air-launched cruise missiles can hold at risk the same targets. U.S. intelligence officials say the GLCM has been test-launched to about the same range as the Kalibr SLCM.

Following the launch from the Kilo-II class submarine in the Mediterranean Sea on December 9, Putin publicly confirmed that the Kalibr SLCM (as well as the Kh-101 ALCM) is nuclear-capable. “Both the Calibre [sic] missiles and the Kh-101 [sic] rockets can be equipped either with conventional or special nuclear warheads.” (The Kh-101 is the conventional version of the new air-launched cruise missile, which is called Kh-102 when equipped with a nuclear warhead.)

The conventional Kalibr version used in Syria appears to have a range of up to 2,000 kilometers (1,240 miles). It is possible, but unknown, that the nuclear version has a longer range, possibly more than 2,500 kilometers (1,550 miles). The existing nuclear land-attack sea-launched cruise missile (SS-N-21) has a range of more than 2,800 kilometers (the same as the old AS-15 air-launched cruise missile).

The Russian navy is planning to deploy the Kalibr widely on ships and submarines in all its five fleets: the Northern Fleet on the Kola Peninsula; the Baltic Sea Fleet in Kaliningrad and Saint Petersburg; the Black Sea Fleet bases in Sevastopol and Novorossiysk; the Caspian Sea Fleet in Makhachkala; and the Pacific Fleet bases in Vladivostok and Petropavlovsk.

The Russian navy is already bragging about the Kalibr. After the Kalibr strike from the Caspian Sea, Vice Admiral Viktor Bursuk, the Russian navy’s deputy Commander-in-Chief, warned NATO : “The range of these missiles allows us to say that ships operating from the Black Sea will be able to engage targets located quite a long distance away, a circumstance which has come as an unpleasant surprise to counties that are members of the NATO block.”

With a range of 2,000 kilometers the Russian navy could target facilities in all European NATO countries without even leaving port (except Spain and Portugal), most of the Middle East, as well as Japan, South Korea, and northeast China including Beijing (see map below).

Click on image to see full-size version.

As a result of the capabilities provided by the Kalibr and other new conventional cruise missiles, we will probably see many of Russia’s old Soviet-era nuclear sea-launched cruise missiles retiring over the next decade.

The nuclear Kalibr land-attack version will probably be used to equip select attack submarines such as the Severodvinsk (Yasen) class, similar to the existing nuclear land-attack cruise missile (SS-N-21), which is carried by the Akula, Sierra, and Victor-III attack submarines, but not other submarines or surface ships.

Conclusion and Recommendations

Now that Russia has demonstrated the capability of its new sea- and air-launched conventional long-range cruise missiles – and announced that they can also carry nuclear warheads – it has demonstrated that there is no military need for a long-range ground-launched cruise missile as well.

This provides Russia with an opportunity to remove confusion about its compliance with the INF treaty by scrapping the illegal and unnecessary ground-launched cruise missile project.

Doing so would save money at home and begin the slow and long process of repairing international relations.

Moreover, Russia’s widespread and growing deployment of new conventional long-range land-attack and anti-ship cruise missiles raises questions about the need for the Russian navy to continue to deploy nuclear cruise missiles. Russia’s existing five nuclear sea-launched cruise missiles (SS-N-9, SS-N-12, SS-N-19, SS-N-21 and SS-N-22) were all developed at a time when long-range conventional missiles were non-existent or inadequate.

Those days are gone, as demonstrated by the recent cruise missile attacks, and Russia should now follow the U.S. example from 2011 when it scrapped its nuclear Tomahawk sea-launched cruise missile. Doing so would reduce excess types and numbers of nuclear weapons.

Background:

• Russian Nuclear Forces, 2015 , FAS Nuclear Notebook, Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists .
• Status of World Nuclear Forces, 2015

This publication was made possible by a grant from the New Land Foundation and Ploughshares Fund. The statements made and views expressed are solely the responsibility of the author.

A military depot in central Belarus has recently been upgraded with additional security perimeters and an access point that indicate it could be intended for housing Russian nuclear warheads for Belarus’ Russia-supplied Iskander missile launchers.

The Indian government announced yesterday that it had conducted the first flight test of its Agni-5 ballistic missile “with Multiple Independently Targetable Re-Entry Vehicle (MIRV) technology.

While many are rightly concerned about Russia’s development of new nuclear-capable systems, fears of substantial nuclear increase may be overblown.

Despite modernization of Russian nuclear forces and warnings about an increase of especially shorter-range non-strategic warheads, we do not yet see such an increase as far as open sources indicate.

Russia’s Weapons Use Old and Even Western Electronics, Report Shows

War sanctions will cripple Russia’s ability to build “high-tech” arms.

• Other electronics parts were sourced from countries that have slapped export sanctions on Moscow.
• Russia will have difficulty rebuilding its war machine, no matter how the Ukraine war ends.

Some of Russia’s most high-tech equipment relies on obsolete electronics and parts it can no longer source from the rest of the world. The country’s inability to produce enough semiconductors , essential for the production of modern weapon systems, means it must use older microchips—including commercial chips imported from the rest of the world. This shortage will have serious implications for the future of the Russian military, and for Russian arms exports abroad.

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The New York Times reports that experts at Conflict Armament Research (CAR) examined parts from several downed Russian weapon systems. (CAR “identifies and tracks conventional weapons and ammunition in contemporary armed conflicts,” according to the organization’s website.) The parts were recovered from the 3M14 “Kalibr” ship-launched land-attack cruise missile, 9M544 300-millimeter guided rockets from the Tornado rocket launcher system , Kh-59 “Ovod” air-to-ground missiles, and Kh-101 aircraft-launched land-attack cruise missiles.

Together, the four weapons cover a broad array of launch systems and a considerable amount of Russia’s land-attack weapons . All four used the same electronic components, marked SN-99, that were revealed to be satellite navigation receivers.

Even more surprisingly, the SN-99 components were not manufactured in Russia and instead were sourced overseas. “Having documented the printed circuit boards inside the satellite navigation signal receiver blocks of these four missiles,” CAR explained, “they were all made of the same non-Russian components, manufactured between 2012 and 2020.” CAR did not explain exactly which country the circuit boards came from.

CAR explains on its website that it has identified “a total of 144 non-Russian manufacturers of more than 650 unique component models in Russian material used in the war on Ukraine .” In addition to the four types of air-to-ground munitions, foreign electronics were found in the Ka-52 “Alligator” attack helicopter, drones including the Orlan-10, military radios, and electronic warfare equipment.

Russia’s high-tech manufacturing sector is relatively underdeveloped compared to other major countries, meaning Moscow must import semiconductors and other electronics. Importing chips is not an unheard of tactic, but it does leave defense contractors at the mercy of international sanctions designed to starve Russia of advanced military technology.

A CAR researcher explained the organization intended to ask the manufacturers how the chips ended up in Russia, whether through legitimate purchase or a shell company or similar cut-out. Countries under sanctions often set up dummy companies to buy military or dual-use military-civilian equipment abroad.

Will international sanctions cripple Russia’s ability to manufacture new weapons? Historically, Russia has had a great deal of success in getting its hands on sanctioned equipment. In the 1980s, Soviet submarines inexplicably became much quieter and capable of evading detection. Western intelligence tracked this breakthrough to the sale of CNC machines , then advanced manufacturing technology, by Japan’s Toshiba and Norway’s Kongsberg to front companies operated by the KGB. These CNC machines were used to make advanced submarine propellers that reduced the noise a submarine made underway.

Russia has incurred a tsunami of second-order effects stemming from its invasion of Ukraine, including broad international sanctions. It has also used a tremendous amount of rockets and missiles, all requiring technology it can’t build itself. If it can’t get them, Russia could find itself unable to defend itself, let alone conquer Ukraine.

Kyle Mizokami is a writer on defense and security issues and has been at Popular Mechanics since 2015. If it involves explosions or projectiles, he's generally in favor of it. Kyle’s articles have appeared at The Daily Beast, U.S. Naval Institute News, The Diplomat, Foreign Policy, Combat Aircraft Monthly, VICE News , and others. He lives in San Francisco.

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The Manhattan Project's Deadly Legacy in St. Louis

The Army Is Clearing Out for Coyote Drone Hunters

This Long-Range Howitzer Has Met Its Achilles Heel

Inside the Development of America's New Nuke

What’s in the Pentagon’s 2025 Defense Budget

A Ballistic Missile’s Wrath Wreaks Havoc

America’s Nuke Factory is Threatened by Wildfires