Russia deploys coastal missile systems “Bal” in the Bryansk region, the X-35U missiles used by this system will be able to fly to Kyiv, reports today, June 14, the Ukrainian English-language portal Defense Express.
According to the publication, the Bal complex division was relocated to the Bryansk region of the Russian Federation, the unit is part of the 11th Coastal Rocket and Artillery Brigade of the Coastal Forces of the Russian Black Sea Fleet.
“Bal” fires X-35U, primarily designed to destroy enemy ships. But now, Kyiv analysts point out, these missiles have been upgraded to match another anti-ship system, the Bastion, in terms of range and ability to hit ground targets.
The K-300P Bastion-P uses the P-800 Oniks supersonic missile, and despite being an anti-ship missile, it was previously used against Ukrainian ground targets: they were almost regularly launched against objects in the areas of the port cities of Odessa, Nikolaev and Ochakov, the publication says.
The Bal systems were also used for missile strikes on land. In the spring and summer of 2022, the Russian army shelled Nikolaev and Odessa, the launchers were in the Crimea, covering almost the entire south of Ukraine, the newspaper notes.
It is indicated that the Russians managed to increase the range of the Kh-35U missile from 260 km to 500 km.
Based on the declared characteristics of the Kh-35U, it would be logical to expect that Russian troops would use the Bal systems deployed north of Ukraine to carry out missile strikes against territories that they cannot reach from Crimea. This makes Kyiv a potential target, military experts there warn.
The Russian army launched a new type of highly effective strike earlier this month against enemy targets in Ukraine. The combined strike was not massive, as usual, but pinpoint. Rockets and drones attacked targets in Kyiv, Kirovograd, Sumy and Dnepropetrovsk regions.
As EADaily reported , the coastal missile systems of the Black Sea Fleet “Bal” and “Bastion” a few days before the start of a special military operation worked out the defense of the Crimea and the Krasnodar Territory from ship groups at that time of a mock enemy.
Source : eadaily.com