The Ukrainian Carpathians were threatened by ballistic missiles on the night of November 13
On the night of November 12–13, an air raid alert was issued in the western regions—specifically in Zakarpattia, Lviv, Volyn, and Prykarpattia—due to the threat of ballistic missile attacks. Prior to this, Kyiv and the central regions of Ukraine had received warnings of a missile threat.
The first reports of the threat emerged after 1:00 a.m. At 1:56 a.m., an air raid alert was declared in Kyiv due to the threat of ballistic missiles. About two minutes later, warnings began arriving in the western regions as well. The alerts covered a significant portion of the country—from Volyn and Lviv to Zakarpattia and Bukovina.
The Air Force issued a brief warning: “Threat of ballistic missile attack.” The military did not specify the type of missile, its possible trajectory, or the regions directly threatened by the strike.
Amid the spreading alarm, monitoring channels reported the appearance of an aerial target in the Kyiv region, which was allegedly moving westward. They attributed the expansion of the air threat’s geographic scope to this development.
In addition, speculation emerged online regarding Russia’s possible use of a new variant of a ballistic missile. According to the authors of these reports, its range allegedly allows it to reach the western regions of Ukraine.
However, there is no official confirmation of this information. The Air Force has not reported the appearance of a new missile variant or its specifications. Nor has any explanation been provided as to why the ballistic threat warning was extended to a significant portion of the western regions.
The extension of the ballistic threat to western Ukraine is particularly noteworthy given the range of Russian missile systems. The Russian military employs several types of missiles capable of traveling significant distances.
Among the main ballistic weapons are the missiles of the “Iskander-M” operational-tactical system. According to the U.S.-based Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), their maximum range is up to 500 km. These missiles are launched from ground-based mobile launchers.
The Russian X-47M2 “Kinzhal” aeroballistic missile has an even greater range. It is launched from aircraft, specifically the MiG-31K. According to CSIS estimates, this missile has a range of 1,500–2,000 km. Unlike the “Iskander,” it is launched from an airborne platform, which increases the total distance the system can cover.
It is also worth mentioning the missiles from the S-300 and S-400 systems. These systems are primarily designed for air defense, but the Russian military also uses their anti-aircraft missiles to strike ground targets. Such missiles can fly along a ballistic trajectory.
In January 2023, Yuriy Ignat, then spokesperson for the Air Force Command, reported that the maximum range for striking ground targets with S-300 missiles is about 150 km, and with S-400 missiles—up to 200 km. According to him, for such strikes, the Russians have to position their launchers closer to the front line or the border, since the missiles’ accuracy decreases at maximum ranges.
It is important not to confuse these figures with the systems’ range against air targets: for certain S-400 missiles, it can be significantly greater. However, this does not mean that the system is capable of delivering ground strikes at the same distance.
The routine use of Russian S-300 and S-400 systems against ground targets does not, in and of itself, explain the threat to the entire western region. In contrast, the “Iskander-M” and “Kinzhal” have significantly greater ranges. At the same time, without official information, it is impossible to determine exactly what type of weapon could have caused the spread of alarm in western Ukraine last night.
Source: Ukrainian Air Force
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