Russia launches another combined missile strike, targeting Kyiv. Ukraine deploys a homegrown Palyanytsia drone-missile for the first time to strike a military target in Crimea. Ukraine unveils the upgraded Khorunzhyi armored personnel carrier.
Russia launches another combined missile strike, targeting Kyiv
Russia launched 35 missiles of various types and 23 Shahed drones at Ukraine overnight on Monday. Ukraine’s Air Force reported shooting down 22 missiles and 20 drones.
Air defenses were at work in the regions of Kyiv, Kharkiv, Dnipro, Poltava, Mykolayiv, and Zaporizhzhia.
Three people were injured in Kyiv. At least four cars, a boiler house, an industrial site and non-residential buildings were set ablaze in three districts of the capital.
The main target of the combined missile attack was Kyiv, the press office of Ukraine’s Air Force told Ukrainska Pravda.
“The enemy directed its main attack against the capital, using missiles of various types – ballistic (Iskander-M or KN-23 – edit.) and Kh-101 cruise missiles. The nature of the attack resembles that of a [missile] strike on Kyiv on July 8, 2024, when the enemy targeted the Okhmatdyt children’s hospital. [Russian forces] then similarly launched missiles of various types at the capital from various directions. This time, the attack included a smaller number of missiles and drones. Air defenses secured a decent result as almost all missiles were shot down,” the press office of Ukraine’s Air Force said in a comment.
Even intercepted missiles can cause serious damage and be a life threat, the Air Force said in a comment, urging residents to take shelter as air defenses fend off Russian attacks.
“Of course, no country in the world has air defense systems that can demonstrate a 100 per cent performance, especially when countering ballistic missile attacks. Unfortunately, last night, the frontline cities of Sumy and Kharkiv also suffered from missile strikes. We need to build up our air defenses that can take down missiles of various types across Ukraine,” Ukraine’s Air Force said.
Ukraine deploys homegrown Palyanytsia drone-missile for first time to strike military target in Crimea
Ukraine deployed a locally-made Palyanytsia drone-missile to strike a Russian military target in occupied Crimea in August, Ukrainska Pravda said, citing sources. The target has not been specified.
The weapon system hit target during a comprehensive military operation, the sources added.
During a speech to celebrate the country’s Independence Day on August 24, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi confirmed the first-ever deployment of the Palyanytsia earlier that same day.
The new missile-drone is much faster and can make more impact than other Ukrainian-made long-range drones, Zelenskyi said.
Ukraine’s Minister of Startegic Industries, Oleksandr Kamyshin later said that the rocket drone was a form of high-speed precision-targeted projectile.
Mykhailo Fedorov, Vice Prime Minister for Innovations, Development of Education, Science and Technology — Minister of Digital Transformation, basically Ukraine’s technology minister, told Associated Press that each such drone-missile costs less than USD one million.
Ukraine unveils upgraded Khorunzhyi armored personnel carrier
Ukraine’s Defense Ministry said Monday it had approved the domestic Khorunzhyi armored personnel carrier (APC) for the supply to the Ukrainian Armed Forces. The vehicle is a substantially modernized version of the Soviet-era BTR-60.
“By incorporating premium Finnish steel into the vehicle’s body design, the Ukrainian APC now boasts better ballistic protection, all without a weight increase. The vehicle’s body is also fortified all around against 7.62 mm steel-core bullets, and the front armor is designed to withstand shots from a heavy machine gun at a range of 10 meters,” the Ministry said in a statement.
Special mine-resistant seats and hull bottom design safeguard the troops from blast effects equivalent to 6 kilograms of TNT.
The Khorunzhyi is equipped with a much more potent 330-horsepower diesel engine in the front, a significant enhancement compared to the BTR-60’s two 90-horsepower gasoline engines. Thanks to this, the combat vehicle can reach over 80 km/h speeds. The fuel tanks enable a range of over 500 kilometers.
The new APC is furnished with advanced electronics, video surveillance cameras, air conditioning, and an autonomous generator that permits the vehicle to operate without the engine running, the Ministry said.
The new Ukrainian APC comes with a combat module featuring either a 14.5 mm machine gun or a 30×113 mm cannon.
The Khorunzhyi APC can be manufactured in six functional versions: battle APC, personnel carriers, medical evacuation, repair and recovery, command and control, and self-propelled mortar, the message reads.
