UK points to 'problems' in Russia's cruise missile production

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April 9 () –

The United Kingdom Intelligence services have pointed this Tuesday to “problems” in the production of cruise missiles by Russia after determining that a “failure” in the firing of an AS-23a Kodiak caused it to hit Russian territory.

“Photographs from open sources from March 31, 2024 show remains of a missile that hit a field in the Saratov region, southern Russia,” they said, before adding that, although it was initially thought which were remains of a Ukrainian drone, were later determined to be “fragments” of one of these missiles.

Thus, they have stressed that “it is very likely” that this occurred after “a malfunction” of one of these missiles launched against Ukraine. “Saratov is a known launching point for long-range Russian aviation attacks and hosts the Engels airfield,” they explained.

“The very probable failure of such a prestigious missile points to problems in its production, probably affected by sanctions and haste due to the demands of the conflict,” they argued, according to a statement published by the British Ministry of Defense through its account on social network X.

In this way, they have detailed that the AS-23a Kodiak missiles “are the main precision-guided munition” of the Russian Army, with a range of about 4,000 kilometers. “It has been used extensively against Ukraine, most recently in attacks on energy infrastructure in the country,” they concluded.