S-400 systems. FILE IMAGE: Alexey Malgavko / Sputnik
On March 30, Russian air defenses intercepted yet another Ukrainian tactical ballistic missile over the Donbass region.
The successful interception took place over the Kirovsk region, a part of the Luhansk People’s Republic. Footage of the interception surfaced online on March 31.
Interception of the #Russian air defense of the #Ukrainian missile 9M79-1 of the Tochka-U complex in the #Kirovsk region (LPR). March 30, 2022. pic.twitter.com/YiLlLZRRsd
— Asia.Defense (@Xia257) March 31, 2022
The tactical ballistic missile was reportedly an 9M79-1 launched from a Soviet OTR-21 Tochka system. The system can launch tactical ballistic missiles with a maximum range of 70 to 185 kilometers depending on the variant.
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Russian air defenses have intercepted many Tochka tactical ballistic missiles over Donbass since the beginning of the Russian special operation in Ukraine. Advanced Russian air defense systems with anti-ballistic missile capabilities, namely the S-400 and the latest versions of the S-300, were likely used to shot down these missiles.
The S-400 can detect a tactical ballistic missile traveling at a speed of 4800 meters per second from 200 kilometers and engage it from up to 60 kilometers.
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In order to end ballistic missile attack on Donbass, the Russian military has been also working to destroy Ukraine’s remaining Tochka systems and ballistic missiles depots.
The Tochka system is a very capable. However, Ukrainian forces have been using it only to target civilian settlements in Donbass. Recent reports revealed that Ukrainian forces used the system to target residential areas in the city of Mariupol in the early days of the war, even before it was approached by Russian forces.
