Russia shells own territory with Iskander missiles amidst Ukraine advance

Ukrainians are advancing further into the territory of the Russian Federation. In response to the audacious attacks by the defending army, the Russians are deploying their heaviest artillery. In a desperate act, they are shelling their own country with Iskander missiles, each costing about £2.4 million.

The ongoing Ukrainian assault on the Kursk region has been taking a toll on the Russian army. The military is unsure how to defend against the advancing Ukrainian soldiers, resulting in continued reports from the front line. These reports indicate that the aggressor's army is retreating its convoys, suffering significant losses in equipment and personnel.

The Russian Federation is trying to halt the raid in the Kursk region from a safe distance, deciding to use some of the most valuable missiles in its arsenal—the Iskanders. The army is shelling its own territory with these missiles and—what's more—is using cluster warhead missiles to do so. This means that Russian Iskanders are becoming a threat to the surrounding civilian population.

Cluster warheads operate on the principle that in the final phase of the flight, the hull opens, scattering smaller submunitions over a large area. However, these submunitions do not always detonate, meaning that the small missiles scattered over Russia can be like "ticking bombs."

It is worth noting that Iskanders are not only expensive, costing about £2.4 million apiece, but also increasingly hard to come by. According to recent calculations by analyst Oleksandr Musiienko, Russians are currently producing about 85-90 Iskander and Kinjal missiles combined. The production of Iskanders alone is estimated at around 40 units.

The mentioned ballistic missiles come in several variants. The most popular, designated Iskander-M, weighs about 5,000 kilograms. Its maximum range during firing reaches about 500 kilometres. However, the key parameter of this weapon remains its maximum speed, making the Iskander difficult to shoot down. After leaving the launcher, the missile accelerates to Mach 7, or about 8,600 kilometres per hour. The ammunition, measuring over 7 metres in length, hits the selected target with great accuracy – the CEP (Circular Error Probable) is stated to be around 30 metres.

In addition to the Iskander-M, the Russians produce two other versions of this weapon. The first (Iskander-E) is an export variant using the 9M720-E missile with a range of almost 300 kilometres. The second, Iskander-K, is a complex for the Russian armed forces equipped with the 9M729 and 9M728 cruise missiles with a range of over 500 kilometres, which the USA claims violates the INF Treaty.