After a series of reports from russian propagandists and Western media suspecting that russian General Staff chief had been suspended from commanding over the so-called "special military operation" in Ukraine, the Kremlin decided to show him in public to dispel the rumors.
A video published by ministry of defense of russia features the Commander of the General Staff of the russian armed forces Valery Gerasimov, mentioned specifically as the head commander of the "special military operation," listen to reports from his subordinates. One of the lower-ranking commanders said Ukraine had used missiles to the S-200 anti-aircraft system for strikes on ground targets inside russia.
Read more: The Kerch Bridge Was Attacked Again, the russians Claim to Have Shot Down a Ukrainian Missile
According to the report, on July 9th, three strikes were launched against targets in Crimea, Rostov Region and Kaluga Region which is next to the Moscow Region. The first two claims echo the earlier russian statements regarding the attack on the Crimean Bridge and on the town of Donetsk in Rostov Region near the border with Ukraine. That is contrary to the claim that the Crimean Bridge was hit with a cruise missile, as russian media said yesterday.
Regarding the strike in Kaluga Region, there had been no information about it earlier. Although there was a video showing a missile attack on Bytosh, Bryansk region, which is located 10 km from the administrative border of Kaluga region and 180 km from the Ukrainian border.
This very footage is considered by many sources as proof that Ukraine converted the 5V28 missiles to the S-200 into quasi-ballistic missiles for ranged strikes. However, on the part of Defense Express, we should note that such a transformation is a complex task due to the various nuances of this missile design which we'll cover in detail in a follow-up article.
Incidentally, the russian commanders traditionally reported to Gerasimov that all four missiles were taken down by russian air defenses: two intercepted, and two more "diverted with electronic warfare systems," with "no casualties" in the outcome.
However, despite the claimed 100% air defense effectiveness, Gerasimov ordered to organize a mission on locating the Ukrainian S-200 firing points for a counterattack and to "in the shortest time possible apply additional measures for protecting the objects from airstrikes."
Read more: What Makes DPICM Cluster Munitions Special and Why are They Essential For the Armed Forces of Ukraine
