Meet the dangerous new long-range missile Russia is firing at Ukraine

Moscow has a new long-range cruise missile and it is deploying this dangerous weapon against Ukraine's energy infrastructure according to a recent report from the Institute for the Study of War. 

The Washington-based think tank the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) reported in an April 12th campaign update on the war of Ukraine that Moscow developed a new cruise missile: the Kh-69. 

Photo Credit: Wiki Commons By Boevaya Mashina, Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0

This new domestically produced air-to-surface subsonic cruise missile was being fielded as part of continuing Russian efforts to improve the weapons that it is using to penetrate Kyiv’s air defenses. 

On April 11th, Ukrainian media reported that Moscow used 11 Kh-69 missiles to destroy the important Trypilska Thermal Power Plant in Kyiv Oblast. The assault was a success for Russian forces. 

The attack on the Trypilska Thermal Power Plant also included 82 missiles and drones in total according to CNN and the Ukrainian Air Force claimed it shot down 18 missiles as well as 32 drones.  

On April 12th, Ukrainian Air Force Spokesperson Major Ilya Yevlash announced Russia had deployed Kh-69 missiles in the attack on the Trypilska Thermal Power Plant before describing the weapons. 

Major Yevlash explained that an improvised Kh-59 missile was used in the assault but added that work was being done to figure out what type of missile Russia used, though he later called it a Kh-69. 

Photo Credit: Wiki Commons By Allocer, Own Work, CC BY-SA 3.0

The production date of the missiles used in the attack on the Trypilska Thermal Power Plant were produced in 2023 according to Yevlash, who added that it showed Moscow was still making new missiles. 

“These are fresh missiles with parts manufactured in 2023. So we can see that Russia is constantly trying to produce new missiles,” Yevlash told Ukrainian media according to a translation from the Telegraph.

“The Kh-69 missile is a new missile for us, so we are, among other things, studying how we can shoot it down,” Yevlash added, remarking that the U.S.-made Patriot air defense system could down the missile quickly

Why the Kh-69 is dangerous isn’t hard to understand. ISW reported that the missile can be launched from the air at over 400 kilometers or about 250 miles away, exceeding the 200-kilometer range (125 mi) range of the Kh-59MK2 variant.

Photo Credit: Wiki Commons By Vitaly V. Kuzmin, CC BY-SA 4.0

“Russian forces can reportedly launch the missiles from more numerous Su-34 and Su-35 tactical aircraft rather than exclusively from strategic bombers,” ISW analysts added, which means they’re likely tough to counter. 

The Kh-69 isn't as fast as the hypersonic air-launched ballistic missile Kh-47M2 Kinzhal (Dager), but Defense Express reported that in terms of the weapons’s consequences for Ukraine, it may be “more dangerous. 

Even though the Kh-69 isn’t as fast as the Kinzhal and despite the fact that it also has a smaller warhead, the use of the new missile by Russia in Ukraine may “be considered a worse option for Ukraine,” Defense Express noted. 

Defense Express added that the Kh-69s strike on the Trypilska Thermal Power Plant showed it could beat Ukrainian air defense and added that its launch from tactical aircraft made it a feature of Russia’s large-scale strikes. 

Moreover, the Kh-69's ability to be launched from Su-34 and Su-35 jets means there is a potential for the missiles to be used in one-off salvos, something that makes the Kh-69 a particularly dangerous tool in the Russian arsenal.