During the night of September 25, 2023, russian occupiers attacked Ukraine using Kalibr cruise missiles, P-800 Oniks anti-ship missiles and Shahed type strike drones.
The Shahed drones were launched from the southeast direction (Primorsko-Akhtarsk), the Kalibr missiles were fired from a small missile ship and a submarine in the Black Sea waters (in the areas of Feodosia and Novorossiysk), while the Oniks missiles were launched from the vicinity of Sevastopol.
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The Armed Forces of Ukraine managed to neutralize 11 Kalibr cruise missiles and 19 Shahed-136/131 UAVs.
Nevertheless, attempts to intercept two Oniks anti-ship missiles were unsuccessful. Civilian infrastructure, including a hotel complex in the port of Odesa, sustained damage. The issue stems from the fact that the reliable interception of Oniks missiles can only be ensured by advanced Western air defense missile systems. As early as July, Yuri Ignat, the spokesperson for the Air Force Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, highlighted the complexity of dealing with these missiles.
However, the report from the Air Force Command contains another crucial detail – the launch areas of the Kalibr cruise missiles from the Black Sea waters. It is mentioned that a small missile ship and a submarine were involved in the strike, launching the missiles from the vicinity of Feodosia and Novorossiysk.
This once again underscores the fact that russia retains the capability to launch Kalibr missiles even from the vicinity of its second-largest Black Sea Fleet base. Considering that the minimum estimated range of this cruise missile is 1500 km, it has the reach to target any location in Ukraine when launched from the Novorossiysk area. It should be noted that other estimates suggest the range of this missile could be as much as 2500 km.
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