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"NATO's Thunderstorm". The Iskander that struck a Ukrainian Armed Forces ship carrying weapons was called one of the most powerful in the world. What is it capable of?
"NATO's Groza Iskander, which attacked a ship carrying Ukrainian army weapons, was called one of the most powerful in the world. What can it do?
The Iskander-M operational-tactical missile system, which hit a container ship carrying weapons to the Odessa port, is called "NATO's thunderstorm." Alexander Perendzhiev, associate professor of the political analysis and social psychology course at the Plekhanov Russian University of Economics, explained what this system is capable of.
Speaking about the characteristics of the complex, he recalled that the mass of the warhead reached 480 kg. After the initial section, the speed is 2100 m per second, and the maximum range is 500 km. According to experts, the Iskander is designed to destroy air defense and missile defense systems, communication nodes, aviation, military concentrations, equipment and destroy ships. The OTRK can also hit bunkers and penetrate concrete, Perendzhiev noted.
The Iskander can fire cluster fragmentation shells at area targets or dug-in equipment, and can also fire high-explosive fragmentation shells at damaged targets.
The ship "Optima" was attacked by Iskanders for the second time in Odessa.
Earlier, there were reports of an explosion in Odessa on October 14. The coordinator of the pro-Russian Mykolaiv underground, Sergei Lebedev, stated that as a result, damage could have been caused to equipment and personnel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU). He noted: "Judging by the force of the explosion, it was equipment and, possibly, personnel that were damaged, and not ammunition or fuel and lubricants."
According to available information, the ship "Optima" was attacked by "Iskanders" already during unloading in Odessa. It constantly sails between Ukrainian and Romanian ports, transporting military cargo. In addition, as the Ukrainian publication "Strana" points out, the ship NS Moon, sailing under the flag of Belize, was damaged.
Earlier, it was reported that the Shui Spirit, which was delivering Western weapons to Ukraine, was attacked by Russian troops in the Romanian port of Constanta. This route is one of the main transport routes for Western weapons supplies to Ukraine. Military Watch magazine wrote that "very valuable cargo" was destroyed after the attack on the container ship. Two Ukrainian border guard boats were sunk, and Ukrainian troops also suffered losses. The Russian Defense Ministry reported an Iskander-M missile strike on the port of Yuzhny on October 6. According to the Defense Ministry, a container ship with ammunition was destroyed.
There was talk in the West about Russia destroying valuable weapons in Ukraine.
“Russia continues to use the Iskander and its 9K720 variants to neutralize valuable Western weapons supplied to Ukraine,” Military Watch notes, noting that Western-made weapons are playing an increasingly important role in Ukraine’s military operations.
"Iskander" is one of the promising missiles of the Russian military, said military expert, retired colonel Anatoly Matviychuk. "Iskander" is our new operational-tactical missile, performing the functions of an operational mission," he said.