Russia held a new this week The massive bombing campaign against Ukraine hit both military and civilian targets All countries use hypersonic weapons.
“In return Terrorist activities organized by the Kyiv regime on March 2 In the Bryansk region, the Russian army launched a massive offensive in retaliation,” Russian Defense Ministry spokesman General Igor Konashenkov said in his daily statement.
The retaliation the Russians are referring to is an alleged Ukrainian incursion into Russian territory, but that has not been proven.
According to Ukrainian official sources, At least nine people were killed during the attack Russian.
In sum, according to Kiev, the Russian army began 81 missiles from aircraft and ships Located in the Black, Azov and Caspian seas.
Armament included six Kinzel hypersonic cruise missiles Some of the most advanced weapons in the Russian arsenalUkrainian Air Force spokesman Yuriy Ihnat said. kyiv points out that their anti-aircraft defenses cannot intercept them.
Three Russian rockets were launched from the Belgorod region of Russia in the early hours of March 9, 2023, in the city of Kharkiv, Ukraine.
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What are hypersonic weapons?
It is defined as any weapon that travels beyond Mach 5, which is equal to five times the speed of sound.
In the atmosphere and at a temperature of 20 degrees Celsius, sound travels at a speed of 1,235 kilometers per hour. Hypersonic speeds are thought to exceed 6,125 kilometers per hour.. It is seven times faster than a commercial airliner.
ICBMs exceed that range, but they travel on predictable trajectories that can be intercepted.
These are Russia’s new missiles are maneuverable and unpredictable And there is little time to react to the attack.
What are Kinsel Missiles?
Russian official Konashenkov noted that Moscow fired long-range precision weapons from the air, which hit military infrastructure and industrial and civilian energy networks.
For this, Russian aircraft It used about 6 Kinzel missiles.
Kinzhal, meaning dagger in Russian, are 8-meter long air-to-air missiles A range of over 2,000 kilometers and speeds ten times greater than sound.
Impossible to shoot down Ukrainian anti-aircraft batteries, this high-precision hypersonic missile can carry both nuclear warheads and conventional payloads.
Is this the first time Russia has used this type of missile?
According to the statement of the Russian Ministry of Defense, The launch of this missile destroyed a large underground warehouse Missiles and anti-aircraft fire by Ukrainian troops in the village of Delyadin.
According to analysts consulted by CNN at the time, the first launch was believed to be a message to the West to show off its ballistic capabilities in the absence of progress in the war.
Does Russia have similar weapons?
Russia already operates Avangard hypersonic gliders for some of its ground-launched ICBMs that are part of Russia’s strategic nuclear triad.
Putin He praised the Avangard’s ability to maneuver at hypersonic speeds In its approach to the target, it avoids anti-aircraft defenses.
In addition, they are capable of changing course and altitude at extremely high speeds, making them “virtually invincible” according to Putin.
They were successfully tested in December 2018, reaching speeds of “Mach 27,” or 27 times the speed of sound, and hitting a target 6,000 km away, according to the Russian Defense Ministry.
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The image of nuclear holocaust is, for many, common in science fiction movies or video games. But the reality is that at least nine countries have more than 14,400 nuclear weapons, according to a 2018 report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). Two countries in the world accumulate 92% of these weapons: Russia and the United States, the report adds. The air base that reportedly flew over the Chinese spy balloon that was shot down in Montana on February 4 is one of three in the entire country that houses 400 intercontinental ballistic missiles (called “Minutemen”). Earth with a nuclear weapon in minutes. In this context, the Journal of Risk Analysis published a report that examined 38 islands that are considered the most “safe” sites amid extraordinary circumstances. Their capacity for self-sufficiency by measuring other factors such as their communication, energy production, agriculture and infrastructure. These are the results.
5- The model developed to determine the places most likely to survive a nuclear disaster in the Solomon Islands takes into account the following factors: the ability of the place to produce food (especially agriculture) without depending on supply chains, its communication and infrastructure, their energy sources and their resilience to sudden changes in temperature. According to these variables, the fifth place is occupied by the Solomon Islands, an archipelago in Oceania, which covers an area of about 28,800 square kilometers – about the size of Vermont – and, according to estimates, is home to about 702,000 people. For 2022 of the CIA’s World Factbook. Their abundant food production under normal conditions and their remote location give them a “natural refuge” quality, according to the study.
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4- Vanuatu Risk Analysis Study identifies the benefits of Vanuatu, another archipelago located in Oceania. The country – almost 12,200 square kilometers and a population of about 308,000 people – also has the characteristics of harvesting and food self-sufficiency, making it another refuge to escape the unusual circumstances of a nuclear disaster. However, like the Solomon Islands, it is not energy self-sufficient (in both cases, less than 50% of its entire area), but the publication indicates that its location and characteristics make it a “naturally resilient” place.
3- Iceland Known for its volcanoes, geysers and natural beauty, this island is one of the top five islands in Oceania. Iceland, in the North Atlantic, has an area of 103,000 square kilometers – about the size of Kentucky – and a population of 357,600, and according to the report, has Europe’s best chance of surviving a nuclear winter. Although the report notes that Iceland is one of the 30 member states of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), its agriculture, power generation and its communications are its other strengths, so it could be a potential war target.
2- New Zealand, about 8,000 miles (13,000 kilometers) from Miami, this remote country comes second in the report. Its biggest advantage is its food production and ability to withstand sudden changes in temperature. However, the risk analysis indicates that New Zealand (with an area of 264,000 square kilometers and a population of 5.03 million, similar to Colorado) is dependent on other countries for energy production. Likewise, the condition of its land routes could present challenges in the event of a nuclear disaster.
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1- Australia Australia, 7.7 million square kilometers, equal to 78% of the size of the United States) occupies the first place. Its agricultural industry shows the highest productivity on the planet in nuclear winter conditions, and its energy and communications industries are strong enough to survive such conditions. Australia’s population is 26 million (7.8% of the US population), but its food sector has the potential to feed “tens of millions more”, according to the study.
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General Glenn VanHerg, head of the US Aerospace Defense Command, said after being asked whether the downed unidentified objects were extraterrestrial in origin, he “hasn’t ruled anything out at this time.” Follow the latest news on Univision.
