Russia likely sees cruise missiles as key weapon for disrupting Ukrainian counteroffensive - British intelligence
The UK Defense Ministry said this in a new intelligence update on Twitter, Ukrinform reports.
It is noted that on the night of May 9, 2023, the Russian Navy’s Black Sea Fleet vessels launched eight SS-N-30a SAGARIS land attack cruise missiles (LACMs) against Ukraine. This was only the second use of Russian Navy LACMs reported since March 9, 2023.
Up to March 2023, the Russian Navy frequently launched these missiles.
“Russia likely temporarily suspended using these weapons because it wanted to rebuild its reserve stocks. In the short-term, Russia likely sees LACM as a key capability to strike deep into Ukraine to disrupt anticipated Ukrainian counter-offensives,” the report says.
However, according to the British intelligence, more strategically, Russia also sees conventional SAGARIS and other LACMs as having an important role in any hypothetical conflict with NATO.
“How to use these scarce and expensive weapons is one of the numerous dilemmas Russian commanders face because the war in Ukraine has gone on much longer than they originally planned for,” the report says.
As reported by Ukrinform, the British intelligence in its previous update wrote that since the start of 2023, the Russian Ministry of Defense has ramped up a scheme to recruit Russian prisoners to fight in Ukraine. It is likely that up to 10,000 convicts signed up in April 2023 alone.
