Russia has more than two thousand of old Kh-55 and Kh-22 missiles left, which may be enough for several more months of bombing. And their inaccuracy can lead to dire consequences.
Forbes writes about it.
According to the publication, at the beginning of the war, Russia had almost 7,000 medium- and short-range missiles (up to 5,500 km). Almost half of them are low-precision Kh-22, Kh-55 missiles and missiles of the "Tochka-U" complexes.
At the first stage of the war, Russian troops used Kalibr-type sea-based missiles and Iskander missile complexes. Also, the Russians fired slightly fewer Kh-101 missiles over Ukraine. Several times they announced the use of their latest development, the Kh-47 Dagger. According to Forbes, the stock of such missiles was not too large — 2,000–3,000 units.
In May, information appeared about the first use of old Soviet Kh-59 missiles. They were created in the 1980s, but they are reasonably accurate. The circular possible deviation is indicated to be less than 10 m, but the USSR and Russia may exaggerate the accuracy of their weapons.
The Kh-59 has a short range of less than 300 km. That is, it can be applied only in the border areas or in the area of the Black Sea coast. It also carries a charge of up to 300 kg and cannot destroy a large object.
The Soviet Kh-55 and its more modern modification, the Kh-555, operate at a longer range. But they are not highly accurate. The circular deviation for them is 20–100 m.
The first confirmations of Russiaʼs use of the "Tochka-U" complexes also appeared in May. For some time, Russia denied their use, because these missile systems were officially decommissioned in the Russian Federation.
Tochka-U is a weapon of mass destruction that destroys manpower in an area of up to 30 hectares depending on the type of warhead. At the same time, the deviation of the rocket can be up to 250 m.
This is an old and indiscriminate weapon that causes destruction over a large area and may not hit the target at all. The Armed Forces also use "Tochka-U", but for large purposes, at a considerable distance from civilian infrastructure. For example, for ammunition depots.
Forbes notes that Russia has already fired about 3,000 missiles at Ukraine. So, most likely, there are not many Kalibr and Iskander missiles left in the Russian Federation.
On July 7, the Deputy Chief of the Main Operational Department of the General Staff of the Armed Forces Oleksiy Hromov announced that since February 24, Russia has struck Ukraine with 626 Iskander and Kalibr missiles.
"There are still enemy ships and submarines in the waters of the Black and Azov seas, from which shelling of Ukraine is carried out. Since February 24, Russia has carried out 6,443 sorties of tactical aircraft and carried out 626 strikes with Iskander and Kalibr cruise missiles, he said.
But Oleksiy Hromov was probably mistaken because the Iskander complexes do not use cruise missiles.
Forbes journalists write that the Russian army fires not only old and cheap missiles but also new and expensive ones. In particular, it uses P-800 Onyx anti-ship missiles, which cost more than $1 million per unit.
These missiles were created for other purposes, so their use against ground targets shows that the Russians lack cheap missiles with the necessary accuracy. Or Russia does not have time to supply the Kalibr missiles to the Black Sea and Caspian fleets, from where they can reach Ukraine.
If the Russian army is really running out of Kh-101, Kalibr and long-range Iskander missiles, then they still have the old Kh-55 and Kh-22, which have a range of more than 500 km. Such missiles may be enough for several more months of bombing. According to Forbes, Russians have more than two thousand of them.