Ministry of Defense of russia has published a video allegedly showing the remnants, including the warhead, of a 5V28 missile being handled by russian explosive ordnance disposal technicians. This missile is used by S-200 surface-to-air missile systems but the russians claim this particular unit was "remodeled for the strikes against ground targets" by the Ukrainian military. The footage was filmed on the Kupiansk operational axis, the statement reads.
Considering there were indications previously that Ukraine has indeed tried to use a modified S-200 missile, theoretically, it could be true. If not only for the fact the russian defense ministry is showing a different type of missile in this video.
Read more: Are There Any Prospects for Ukrainian Long-Range Missiles in Mass Production
Actually, the wreckage in the video belongs not to the 5V28 missile from the S-200 system but to the 5V55 missile of the S-300 anti-aircraft system. This can be easily identified by the warhead and the characteristic solid fuel engine parts scattered around.
For comparison, here are some photos of the 5V55 missile from the S-300 taken in Ukraine. There are this many because russian forces have been systematically firing them on Ukraine as ersatz-ballistic missiles:
Then, here's the photo of the actual 5V28 missile's empennage. The rockets attached to the sides are boosters that help the missile take off the ground, they fall off after the launch.
Surely, this attempt at misinformation on the side of the russian defense department could be discounted as a simple mistake out of incompetence.
However, it could be a marker of a disinformation campaign started against Ukraine, the narrative being that Ukraine first produced a new weapon out of old S-200 missiles and then they started to fail mid-flight and fall on Ukrainian cities – in order to cover up the shelling with S-300 missiles in the wake of upcoming winter and heating season in Ukraine.
Read more: Russia Claim that the A-50 Aircraft Is Now Able to Guide Surface-to-Air Missiles from the S-400 System
