• Russia has intensified its missile campaign in the ongoing conflict by striking Ukraine’s Cabinet building with an Iskander-K cruise missile.
• The Iskander-K is a mobile short-range cruise missile launcher vehicle based on an 8×8 military truck chassis, similar in design to the Iskander-M ballistic missile system.
• Entering service in February 2017, the system provides the Russian Armed Forces with advanced tactical-operational strike capability.
• The launcher vehicle can carry two to six container units and operates at speeds of up to 70 km/h, with a maximum cruising range of 1,000 km.
• It can fire two types of cruise missiles: the 9M728 (SSC-X-7/R-500) with a maximum range of 500 km, and the 9M729 (SSC-X-8), a long-range missile capable of flying at low altitudes to evade radar and complicate interception.
• The latest strike underscores Russia’s increasing reliance on advanced precision-strike weapons to target critical Ukrainian infrastructure.
• Military analysts note that the use of the Iskander-K highlights both its versatility and its role in Russia’s broader strategy of combining legacy systems with new-generation missile technology.