Raduga Kh-32
The UK Ministry of Defence reported 02 July 2022 "Russia continues to employ air-launched anti-ship missiles in a secondary land attack role, likely because of dwindling stockpiles of more accurate modern weapons. Analysis of CCTV footage shows the missile that impacted the Kremenchuk shopping centre on 27 June 2022 was highly likely a Kh-32. This is an upgraded version of the Soviet era Kh-22 KITCHEN. Although the Kh-32 has several performance improvements over the Kh-22, it is still not optimised to accurately strike ground targets, especially in an urban environment. This greatly increases the likelihood of collateral damage when targeting built up areas. Further strikes on 30 June 2022 in Odesa Oblast likely involved Kh-22 KITCHEN missiles. These weapons are even less accurate and unsuitable for precision strikes and have almost certainly repeatedly caused civilian casualties in recent weeks."
While the Kh-22 / AS-4 is a rather elderly system, the Kh-32 is of recent vintage. Use of the Kh-22 might suggest that the Russians were scraping the bottom of the barrel in search of cruise missiles, while use of the Kh-32 has rather less drastic implications.
CCTV footage revealed the moment Russian missile slammed into Ukrainian shopping mall in Kremenchuk. Video showed an anti-ship missile striking Amstor mall shortly before 4pm local time, causing large blast. The video directly contradicted Russia's claim the mall burned down after it hit a nearby train station and factory. The other missile fell about 450 meters away, into the edge the Kredmash Road Machinery Plant, which primarily manufactures asphalt and concrete mixers, where it injured two of the 100 employees present.
At least 18 people died and 59 were hurt in the attack, with another 21 missing - many of them presumed dead. Mykhailo Podolyak, one of President Zelensky's top advisers who posted the video online wrote: "Russian propaganda always lies: There is no coincidence, [the strike] was a deliberate blow to intimidate the population and cause mass casualties."
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Russia of a "calculated" attack against civilians. Zelenskyy said that more than 1,000 civilians were inside the mall in the city of Kremenchuk when the assault took place. Ukraine's emergency services said at least 16 people were killed and 59 injured.
"This is not an accidental hit, this is a calculated Russian strike exactly onto this shopping center," Zelenskyy said in his nightly video address. He added that the strike "is one of the most daring terrorist attacks in European history." Zelenskyy had said earlier on Telegram that the number of casualties is "impossible to even imagine" and said the shopping center, in a city 300 kilometers southeast of the capital, Kyiv, was "no danger to the Russian army, no strategic value." Rescue workers continued to work after nightfall searching the rubble for survivors.
Mayor Vitaliy Maletsky wrote on his Facebook page that the strike "came in a very crowded place, which is 100 percent irrelevant to hostilities," while Zelenskiy said "more than 1,000 people were gathered" at the mall and that "it is impossible to even imagine the number of victims."
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken tweeted, "The world is horrified by Russia's missile strike today, which hit a crowded Ukrainian shopping mall - the latest in a string of atrocities. We will continue to support our Ukrainian partners and hold Russia, including those responsible for atrocities, to account." U.N. spokesperson Stephane Dujarric called the attack "deplorable" and said the U.N. Security Council would meet at Ukraine's request following the strike. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, speaking from the G7 summit, said the Kremenchuk attacked demonstrated the "depths of cruelty and barbarism" of Putin.
Despite the fact that the combat use of the Kh-32 anti-ship missiles is clearly accompanied by a host of difficulties, these missiles are an extremely powerful deterrent. The modernized Tu-22M3M bombers, together with the new Kh-32 cruise missiles, will definitely increase Russia's ability to counter potential enemy aircraft carrier strike groups. Moreover, the capabilities of the X-32, provided that a massive attack is organized, can successfully resist not only with one AUG, but also with an entire aircraft carrier strike force, numbering 2-3 aircraft carriers. Thus, the capabilities of the X-32 most likely will not allow the aircraft carriers of a potential enemy to approach the coast closer than 1-1.5 thousand kilometers.
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