(TheRedWire.com) – After the fall of the Soviet Union in the 1990s, several bloc states declared independence from the USSR. Ukraine was among them. As part of a deal known as the Budapest Memorandum, Ukraine ceded munitions, ballistic missiles, and strategic bombers to Russia for decommissioning. At the time, they had the third-largest nuclear-capable military in the world. Now, it appears Russia is using Ukrainian-made missiles and aircraft against it.
Gen. Vadym Skibitsky, Ukraine’s deputy intelligence chief, said Russia deployed Kh-55 subsonic cruise missiles from the bombers the country turned over in the 1990s. The general stated they used old weapons as decoys. He noted their enemies removed the warheads and replaced them with ballast to give the appearance of a payload. After the Ukrainian military responded to them, Russia used aircraft firing modern rockets with powerful warheads. He said it would have been better if Ukraine had given them to the United States.
“First, the Kh-55 missile is launched; we react to it,” General Skibitsky said. “It’s like a false target.” After the Ukrainian air defenses are engaged, he said, Russian bombers launch the more modern missiles, with destructive warheads. https://t.co/KZMICbIc1a
— New York Times World (@nytimesworld) December 13, 2022
On Monday, December 5, the Kremlin fired over 70 rockets into the war-torn country. Skibitsky said they believed the Russians had enough to conduct three to five attacks, assuming 80 to 90 in a single wave. The general noted that the government believes Russia’s supply of modern missiles is dwindling despite manufacturing new ones.
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