Back in May 2022, russian occupiers used a powerful guided aerial bomb UPAB-1500B for the first time. It weighs 1,500 kilograms, has a warhead weight of 1,010 kilograms and a range of up to 40 kilometers.
The first target for this bomb was an agricultural complex in Putyvl, Sumy region. According to the press service of the Security Service of Ukraine (SSU), the command to use the UPAB-1500B was given by as many as five generals of the russian Armed Forces.
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According to the report, the chain of commands for the use of the UPAB-1500B was as follows. The initiator was the commander of the Western Military District of the russian Armed Forces, Colonel-General Alexander Zhuravlyov, who involved his deputy, Lieutenant-General Alexey Zavizyon, in planning the attack.
The next step was a command to use the UPAB-1500B directly from the commander of the russian Aerospace Forces, Lieutenant General Sergey Dronov, who received a request from the commander of the Western Military District Alexander Zhuravlyov.
The list of direct perpetrators of this attack includes two more russian generals: Chief of the Main Staff - First Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Aerospace Forces, Major General Sergei Meshcheryakov, as well as Head of the 929th State Flight Test Center of the Ministry of Defense of the russian federation, Lieutenant General Radik Bariyev.
Reportedly, a Su-34 aircraft, which took off from the Akhtubinsk airfield where the 929th Flight Test Center of the Russian Defense Ministry is located, was used to drop the UPAB-1500B.
On behalf of Defense Express, we note that such a complex chain of command, involving five generals and two colonels (according to the SSU case file), may be related to the UPAB-1500B's status as the latest model of aviation weapons at the time.
It is worth recalling that the first public presentation of this guided bomb took place in 2019. At the time, russians claimed that it had allegedly passed all the necessary tests. However, it seems that the UPAB-1500B may have been considered an untested bomb by russian military in May 2022, which is why its use was entrusted to the 929th Flight Center of the russian Defense Ministry.
Additionally, it should be noted that the UPAB-1500B has a range of up to 40 kilometers, which is only achievable if the carrier aircraft ascends to an altitude of 14 kilometers, making the carrier vulnerable to air defense. Finally, striking a civilian object is a war crime, and hardly anyone among russians wanted to take individual responsibility for it.
Therefore, it seems that such a complex chain of issuing commands was dictated by the fear of liability.
In conclusion, the first public announcement of russians' use of the UPAB-1500B in the war against Ukraine appeared in March 2023.The wreckage of this bomb was discovered after russian air strike on Chernihiv region. Nearly two years after this episode, new data has emerged regarding russians' use of the UPAB-1500B against Ukraine.
Earlier Defense Express reported that the new Ъ-series Shahed-136 killer drones had attacked Ukraine.
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