Ukraine says it has produced a new long-range weapon that can strike deep into Russia without seeking authorization from allies — a combination of a home-made missile and drone, which the defense minister vowed Monday to to be the right “response” to a wave of Russian bombings.
The new weapon, dubbed Palianytsia, was created out of urgent need, Ukrainian officials said, as Russia has had the military advantage in air strikes since the war broke out in February 2022 and Ukraine's western allies have imposed conditions on its use. of long-range missiles sent by them against Russia.
On Monday, a number of Russian missiles and drones targeted Ukraine's electrical infrastructure in the biggest such attack in weeks.
“Those who fight to protect lives should have no restrictions on the use of weapons, as long as Russia uses all kinds of its own weapons,” President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a Telegram message after the attacks.
Mr Zelenskyy confirmed the existence of Palianytsia on Saturday, calling it “a new class” of weapons. The weapon was used for the first time on Saturday, on the 33rd anniversary of Ukraine's independence, targeting a Russian military facility in the occupied territory, the officials said without giving further details.
Defense Minister Rustem Umerov promised on Monday that the weapon would be used again soon in response to the overnight attack in Ukraine.
“Ukraine is preparing to respond with weapons produced by itself,” he said on his Facebook page. “This proves once again that in order to win, we need long-range weapons and the lifting of restrictions on strikes on enemy military facilities.”
A video by the Ukrainian military suggested that its range is up to 700 kilometers – similar to the high-tech missiles the United States has fielded.
The United States and other Western allies are providing Ukraine with long-range weapons, but have made it a condition that they not strike deep into Russia out of concern about an escalation of the war. Ukraine can use them in border regions, but it wants to strike deeper to attack Russia's military infrastructure.
Ukraine's technology minister, Mykhailo Fedorov, told The Associated Press in his first interview about the new weapon that the next step was to ramp up production.
“I think this will change the rules of the game because we will be able to hit where Russia is not expecting today,” he said.
Minister Fedorov declined to provide details on the range or quantity of weapons produced, citing security reasons, but said he has been engaged in domestic missile development projects since the end of 2022.
The new weapon has been a long-term goal of Ukraine. One of the specialists involved in the long-range missile project said it was “a completely new development” that began about 18 months ago.
Ukraine says the inability to respond to Russia's long-range weapons has deadly consequences. Ukraine's commander-in-chief, General Oleksandr Syrskyi, said that Russia had launched 9,627 long-range missiles and that Ukraine's defenses had shot down only a quarter of them, and that more than half of Russia's targets were civilians.
Mr. Fedorov said each missile costs less than $1 million and the military is turning to the private sector to further reduce production costs.
“The private market offers quick solutions,” said the minister. This year, private companies have become the main suppliers of drones to the Ukrainian military, including those that now strike inside Russia and the underwater ones that have repeatedly struck the Russian Black Sea fleet, Mr. Fedorov said.
“All types of missiles will be available in Ukraine,” he said.
“If we have such weapons, we will feel more independent and safer.” Mr. Fedorov added that he believes that Russia's large surface area may also be its weak point. “It is impossible to produce enough air defense systems for such a large territory,” he said. “For us, it creates the opportunity to operate deep into enemy territory.”
