Russia has begun using its latest long-range Kh-101 cruise missiles equipped with cluster warheads to strike remote enemy airfields, aiming to destroy exposed aircraft and support vehicles.
The latest attack targeted an airbase in the Kyiv region.
The new type of Kh-101 missiles, capable of traveling thousands of kilometers, pose a severe challenge to Ukraine’s armed forces and a threat to civilians. These missiles carry submunitions resembling metal balls or truncated cylinders, about 10 cm in diameter, designed to damage light vehicles and personnel in open areas.
The indiscriminate nature of these cluster munitions endangers both military and civilian populations. On June 12, Ukraine’s National Police warned Kyiv region residents about the danger posed by these submunitions scattered from an intercepted missile.
The first recorded use of the Kh-101 with a cluster warhead was on the night of June 7, targeting a military airfield near Starokostyantyniv.