Massive Explosion From Strike On Government Building In Kharkiv Could Be A Preview Of What's To Come
Russia's invasion of Ukraine is now in its sixth day and it appears to be taking a very dark turn. After being repulsed on multiple fronts by the Ukrainian Army, the Russian military appears to have moved to attacking highly urban areas with artillery barrages. At the same time, a massive convoy is creeping towards Kyiv from the north in what can only be assumed to be preparations for an all-out assault on the capital. You can get up to speed by checking out our prior rolling coverage of this conflict here.
Now let's get to the most recent developments.
The Latest:
Posted: 4:15 AM EST—
In possibly another glimpse of what's to come unless this war is stopped, Russian forces struck the Kharkiv Regional State Administration Building, creating a massive explosion and crater and a wave of destruction in the vicinity of the building:
It isn't clear exactly what weapon was used in the attack. It looks like a large artillery rocket, such as a 300mm Smerch, or possibly a land-attack cruise missile (LACM) in the freeze-frame. Regardless, it was a big unitary warhead let loose on a civilian and highly urban target.
The following analysis, using open-source intelligence, does seem to suggest that a Kalibr LACM may have been used. In this case, the particular weapon would have been a 3M14 Kalibr, rather than the 3M54 anti-shipping variant indicated, although both weapons look broadly similar. To read more about the Russian standoff weapons used during the campaign so far, click here.
Latest overall intel assessment from the U.K. Ministry of Defense:
The massive convoy has grown from 17 miles to now around 40 miles. This is probably more of a developing supply line than just a convoy at this point. Regardless, this is literally an army in itself bearing down on Kyiv:
Reports state that as many as 70 Ukrainian soldiers were killed in another Russian artillery or missile strike, this time directed against a military base in Okhtyrka, a city located roughly between Kharkiv and Kyiv. The strike, which may have involved a ballistic missile, appears to have targeted a four-story building, leaving an enormous crater in its wake.
We are also increasingly seeing some of the weapons that are proving critical to Ukraine's ability to repulse the Russian invasion forces. The following images show troops armed with British-supplied Next Generation Light Anti-tank Weapons, or NLAWs, onboard a Ukrainian Army Aviation Mi-8 helicopter. The second image, the provenance of which is unknown, shows an apparently civilian vehicle filled with shoulder-launched surface-to-air missiles, as well as another NLAW.
Video has also emerged of a dramatic helicopter assault, reportedly over the Kyiv Reservoir, perhaps taken during the first day of fighting, on February 24. A formation of Russian helicopters comes under ground fire, resulting in two of the Mi-8s impacting the water. While one of these rotorcraft is brought down, the other appears to make a remarkable recovery and continues flying.
We will continue to update this post with new developments until stated otherwise.
Contact the author: Tyler@thedrive.com
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