According to sources, Russia launched a cruise missile at Ukraine equipped with a dummy nuclear bomb.
Kyiv’s air defenses intercepted at least 4 kamikaze UAVs and two ballistic missiles on Thursday, and it is reported that Ukrainian soldiers discovered the false warhead.
Dummy Nuke Fired At Ukraine
According to a Defense Express article, which was cited by the Strategic Communications Centre of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, one of the two missiles fired by Moscow was a Soviet Kh-55 missile equipped with a false nuclear warhead.
Russia attacked Kiev with a missile that had a "simulator with a nuclear warhead" – Defense Express
According to the publication, one of the missiles shot down yesterday was Kh-55 which had no warhead, instead had an empty blank screwed in, acting as a simulator of the warhead. pic.twitter.com/Yoh680BdiX
— Trollstoy (@Trollstoy88) November 18, 2022
The missile was allegedly launched at Ukraine after a hollow block was put onto the end to make it look like a nuclear warhead.
Experts speculate that Moscow is aiming to “overwhelm” Ukraine’s air system by firing missiles, even if they do not detonate. This may be a “warning” to the West about a potential nuclear intensification of the war.
The news source suggests that Russian forces could have replaced the Kh-55’s “special warhead” with a “blank shell” when they realized they couldn’t install a typical warhead onto the missile.
One of the Kh-55 missiles shot down over Kiyv yesterday had an imitation "nuclear warhead". Russia took the Kh-55, the nuclear warhead was "removed" and an imitation was inserted instead? Unclear why this was done … https://t.co/jDXcd2uSJr pic.twitter.com/w26EXwjq34
— Lukasz Olejnik @LukaszOlejnik@Mastodon.Social (@lukOlejnik) November 18, 2022
This Weapon Has Serious Capabilities
The Kh-55 (or X-55) is a long-range ballistic missile that can be dropped from bombers and travels up to 2,500 kilometers before reentering the atmosphere.
It is believed that Russia often employs the X-555 missile, a “non-nuclear” variant of the Kh-55 missile fitted with a conventional payload to deliver explosives while invading Ukraine.
The purported employment of the nuclear-capable missile has fueled speculation that the Kremlin is desperately short on long-range armaments.
Previous claims by Western sources suggested that Russia was more dependent on Iranian drones as it struggled to maintain its own stockpiles of the technology.
Ukraine’s intel agency stated in August that Russia had already fired half of its missiles during the six-month invasion that had begun in February.
Why Did Russia Do This?
Michael Horowitz, a security expert, speculates that there are two interpretations of the reported deployment of the hoax nuclear bomb.
An analyst has stated that in an attempt to pay a gas debt to Russia, the Ukrainian government turned over around 400 Kh-55 missiles.
It was his contention that they were converted into standard X-555 missiles and fired toward Ukrainian territory.
According to Serhiy Zgurets, an analyst for Defense Express, the 400 X-55 missiles that were given over to the Russians were modified to X-555s, and these missiles are currently employed for strikes on Ukrainian land.
He stressed that these missiles were the ones they handed to the Russians in consideration of a portion of the alleged gas debt.
It comes as Putin’s battle rages on, despite the dictator’s hubris in thinking he could occupy Kyiv within days.
Following a humiliating loss, the West allegedly offered the Russian ruler a capitulation bargain.
In the recaptured city of Kherson, Ukrainian forces proudly displayed their country’s flag as Putin’s soldiers fled, several of whom perished after attempting to cross a river on foot.
This article appeared in NewsHouse and has been published here with permission.
