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From Kalibr missiles to Smerch rocket launchers, what weapons Russia is using. See full list
Ukraine has repeatedly accused Russia of using its missile and rocket systems to target civilian areas
The fighting between Russia and Ukraine has entered the 24th day with any chances of cessation of destruction considered a mirage. Cities after cities are being bombed by Moscow, with helpless citizens forced to take refuge in bomb shelters to protect themselves from missile strikes and artillery shelling. Ukraine claims Russia is targeting civilians with sophisticated weapons. The cluster munitions, vacuum bombs and now the hypersonic Kinzhal missiles have been used by Russia to pound the Ukrainian cities.
Lets bring you a lowdown of the weapons Vladimir Putin's forces have used to target the cities in the eastern European country.
Kinzhal hypersonic missile
Russia on Saturday said it fired the hypersonic missiles from the Kinzhal system for the first time. The missiles were used to destroy an underground weapons storage site in western Ukraine. Unveiled by Putin in 2018, the system of air-to-ground missiles is among the series of advanced strategic weapons. It is believed that the missiles fly ten times faster than the speed of sound and can carry a nuclear payload of nearly 500 kilogrammes.
Kalibr cruise missiles
The Russian forces have extensively used the Kalibr cruise missiles to target civilian areas across Ukraine. A precision weapon, Kalibr was used extensively by Moscow to hit Islamic State targets in Syria in 2015. According to reports, the Russian forces have used these missiles to target military establishments and government buildings, which are located closer to residential areas.
Iskander missiles
The Russians have used Iskander missiles that have a range of up to 500 kilometres and can carry warheads capable of destroying big buildings and fortified military facilities. Some Iskander missiles were reportedly fired from the territory of Russian ally Belarus, which has served as a staging ground for the Russian invasion, Associated Press reported.
Rocket strikes
Several Ukrainian cities including Kyiv, Kharkiv, Odesa, Chernihiv, Irpin have been pounded by Russian rocket strikes ever since the war began. Viral images from Kharkiv showed a barrage of rockets tha targeted civilian buildings leading to casualties.
Moscow has been using Soviet-designed Smerch, Grad and Uragan rocket launchers to fire rockets into the Ukrainian territory.
Artillery units
The Russian military has been using several powerful Soviet-designed artillery units named after flowers such as self-propelled 203-mm Peony and 152-mm Hyacinth and Acacia self-propelled howitzers.
The Russians have heavily depended on the howitzers which are used to supplement air strikes by bombers.
Cluster bombs and thermobaric weapons
Ukraine has regularly accused Russia of using cluster munitions in heavily populated areas, a charge Kremlin has denied. Cluster bombs, rockets and artillery shells open in the air, releasing submunitions, or “bomblets,” that are dispersed over a large area and simultaneously hit multiple targets.
Thermobaric weapons consist of a fuel container and two separate explosive charges, with the first detonating to disperse the fuel particles and the second igniting the dispersed fuel and oxygen in the air, creating a blast wave of extreme pressure and heat that creates a partial vacuum in an enclosed space. That makes the weapon particularly deadly for people in an enclosed space.
(With agency inputs)
