Russia has been firing newer missile types at Ukraine in limited numbers, which Ukrainian officials describe as an effort to intimidate Kyiv and its Western partners rather than to secure a clear battlefield advantage.
Colonel Yuriy Ihnat, head of communications for Ukraine’s Air Force Command, said Russia has used hypersonic Zircon missiles and a nuclear-capable medium-range ballistic missile it calls Oreshnik in isolated launches instead of mass attacks.
“These launches are demonstrative,” Ihnat told RBC-Ukraine. “They are intended to create psychological pressure.”
Ihnat said the two missile types serve different purposes and should not be compared to Russia’s regular large-scale missile barrages.
Ukraine’s Air Force does not officially use the name Oreshnik, Ihnat said. He described the weapon as a modernized version of a Soviet-era ballistic missile rather than a new system.
Russia has used the missile in strikes on central Ukraine’s Dnipro and western Ukraine’s Lviv, the latter of which lies near NATO borders. Ihnat said the launches appeared aimed at signaling to Western countries.
“Russia is trying to show it has weapons that it claims cannot be intercepted,” he said.
Ihnat separately commented on Russia’s use of the Zircon missile, which was designed as an anti-ship weapon but has been used to strike land targets in Ukraine.
According to Ihnat, Zircon missiles have been launched from occupied Crimea toward the Kyiv, Kharkiv and Vinnytsia regions, though the number of launches has been limited.
The missile climbs above 40 kilometers (131,000 feet) and follows a ballistic-style trajectory similar to the Kh-22 missile, he said.
Ukraine’s air defenses have intercepted Zircon missiles, Ihnat added, though success depends on the placement of US-made Patriot air defense systems.
Recent suspected uses of Zircon missiles include a nighttime attack on Jan. 20, when Ukrainian officials said a missile launched from occupied Crimea was heading toward the Vinnytsia region.
Earlier incidents include a Nov. 14 explosion in the northeastern city of Sumy, where the use of a Zircon missile was not ruled out.
Following an Aug. 21 strike on the city, Ukrainian experts confirmed the use of a 3M22 Zircon missile after analyzing debris.