Russia Launches Kalibr Cruise Missiles Directly From Base, Ukraine Says

Russia has been launching its naval-based Kalibr cruise missiles directly from port via its missile carriers for four months in a row, according to Ukraine. Ukrainian Navy spokesperson Dmytro Pletenchuk noted the new trend on television, according to state media Ukrinform on Monday, Sept. 14.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. “Even the use of cruise missile carriers that launch Kalibrs takes place directly at the base, that is, right in the harbor. This is a trend that has been observed for the fourth month in a row,” Pletenchuk said. The Kalibr, with a reported range of 1,500-2,500 km (932-1,553 miles), is the mainstay in the Russian Navy’s arsenal and have been frequently used against Ukrainian cities since 2022. The missiles are typically launched at sea by Russian warships and submarines, with Ukrainian channels closely monitoring their movements ahead of potential missile strikes. Pletenchuk noted the peculiar nature and difficulty in launching them from the harbor, before warning that the missiles’ danger should not be overlooked. “Submarines, for example, are also not so easy to use. To do this, they need to dive. I still can’t imagine how they can use them in the mode in which they are currently launching them,” Pletenchuk continued. “Let’s not downplay the danger: we are assuming the maximum – four carriers, but realistic figures would probably be two surface carriers,” he added. Other Topics of Interest Canada Considers Joining EU €90 Billion Ukraine Loan Ottawa and Brussels hope to agree on Canada’s contribution before an EU-Canada summit in Montreal in late October Pletenchuk also estimated that Russia has four vessels capable of launching the Kalibr missiles from the Black Sea – two Buyan-M-class warships and two Varshavyanka-class submarines. On Sept. 9, Ukraine claimed to have hit the Admiral Essen, a Russian Admiral Grigorovich-class frigate capable of launching Kalibr missiles, at Russia’s Novorossiysk. Pletenchuk also noted the decreased frequency of Russia’s cruise missile launches, saying that two had been documented this month, compared with a summer high of three. Based on Kyiv Post’s tallies, Russia launched at least 251 cruise missiles in July, with massive strikes documented on three days (July 2, July 6, and July 30), where 40, 55 and 65 cruise missiles were launched, respectively, based on the Ukrainian Air Force’s morning updates. The rest of July consisted of occasional cruise missile launches of up to 16 per day. Kyiv Post is Ukraine’s first and oldest English news organization, reporting since 1995. Its international reach – 97% of readers are outside of Ukraine – make it truly Ukraine’s global voice.