Ukrainian sources have denounced the impact on Ukrainian territory of a Soviet-made Kh-55 nuclear missile, albeit with a dummy warhead, in what could be a threat launched from Moscow.
The missile was not carrying a conventional payload, but a «dummy» nuclear warhead, the Ukrainian Defense Express portal reported, citing military sources. The Ukrainian Defense Ministry itself has echoed the news.
The Kh-55 missile, also known as X-55, was designed and manufactured during the Soviet era to carry nuclear bombs some 2,500 kilometers away and is launched from a bomber.
The missile was reportedly launched last Tuesday and, according to analysts, may have been intended to overcome Ukrainian defenses during the launch of other projectiles. The practice consists in launching an obsolete missile just before the effective missile to avoid anti-aircraft defenses.
Another option would be that Moscow wants to «send a message» to Kiev and its Western allies about a possible escalation to the nuclear level or even that Russia is depleting its stockpile of precision missiles and that is why it would have used a nuclear-capable missile instead.
