russia continues to conduct targeted strikes on civilian objects in Ukraine. On Friday, August 9, russian occupiers attacked a supermarket in Konstantinovka, Donetsk Oblast. At the time of publication, it is known that about 14 were killed and 43 wounded.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine reported that, according to preliminary data, the Kh-38 air-to-surface missile was used in the strike. It was adopted by the russian federation in 2012, but still remains a rarely used munition.
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As of May of this year, russian propagandists began to mention the use of these missiles more actively, but in the Kh-38ML variant with laser guidance. There are also other variants of this missile such as satellite guidance, infrared as well as active radar homing. It is also known that this missile can be carried by Su-35 and Su-57 aircraft and allegedly by Ka-52 helicopters.
The total weight of the missile is 520 kg. It has a high-explosive and even cluster warhead weighing 250 kg. It is important to note that the launch range of this missile is only up to 40 km, while its speed is up to Mach 2.2. It is known that the distance from Kostyantynivka to the frontline is currently about 12-15 kilometers.
Taking into account the fact that the laser guidance system is the most common for the Kh-38 missile, it must be emphasized that the russian strike on Ukrainian civilian infrastructure was deliberate.
It should also be noted that the russian federation has created Grom-E1 missile based on Kh-38 that is also occasionally used by the enemy.
Earlier Defense Express reported Ukraine had gained advantage with leaked russian air defense data.
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