00:00France's Scalp missiles could strike Crimea Bridge, expert says KYIV, July 19.
00:05French-made Scalp cruise missiles, recently transferred to Ukraine,
00:09could be used to strike strategic targets including the Kerch Strait Bridge,
00:13according to military aviation expert Valery Romanenko.
00:16In an interview with Ukrainian news agency UNN, Romanenko said the Scalp missile,
00:21a joint Franco-British development based on the UK's storm shadow,
00:25could be equipped with a high-explosive warhead or a penetration variant
00:29capable of damaging heavily fortified structures such as the Crimea Bridge.
00:33Scalp missile capabilities, Romanenko noted that the Scalp missile has an effective range
00:38of approximately 450 to 500 kilometers, though the version supplied to Ukraine
00:43has been modified to a range of about 300 kilometers to comply with the Missile Technology Control Regime,
00:49MTCR, which restricts the transfer of missiles with ranges exceeding 300 kilometers.
00:55The missile carries a 450-kilogram warhead and is air-launched from fighter jets.
01:01Ukraine currently uses Soviet-era Su-24 and Su-27 aircraft to launch these missiles,
01:09but Romanenko expressed hope that French Mirage 2000 fighters could also be adapted,
01:15providing a backup option.
01:16The Scalp-slash-Storm Shadow is designed to be a low-observable, highly-accurate cruise missile
01:23with a small radar cross-section, making it difficult to detect and intercept.
01:28In recent Ukrainian strikes, three out of four Scalp-slash-Storm Shadow missiles
01:32successfully hit their targets, a notable success rate given Russian air defense capabilities.
01:38Cluster warhead limitations.
01:40Romanenko noted that the Scalp missiles supplied to Ukraine are believed to use primarily cluster warheads,
01:46which disperse numerous smaller sub-munitions over a wide area.
01:50While effective against large, soft targets such as air defense systems and troop concentrations,
01:56cluster warheads are less effective against hardened targets.
01:59A cluster warhead would be limited in its ability to damage a reinforced concrete structure,
02:04such as the Kerch Strait Bridge.
02:06To cause significant structural damage, a high-explosive or penetration warhead would be required.
02:12If the cluster warhead is replaced with a high-explosive warhead,
02:17Ukraine could effectively strike oil refineries and key defensive positions, Romanenko said.
02:23Ukrainian strikes on Russian naval targets.
02:26On July 19, President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed that Ukrainian forces had struck three Russian oil
02:32tankers in the Black Sea and four oil depots in the Starobilsk region as part of an ongoing
02:37campaign against Russia's oil trade.
02:39Zelensky noted that the strikes were a response to a heavy Russian ballistic missile attack on
02:44Kyiv, and that Ukraine would continue responding with reasonable and appropriate methods.
02:49Ukraine's general staff also confirmed that long-range drones struck two Russian oil tankers
02:54in the Black Sea and a crane in the Sea of Azov overnight, as well as an S-300 air
03:00defense
03:00system in the occupied Zaporizhzhia region.
03:03The Security Service of Ukraine, SBU, claimed its drone successfully struck another tanker,
03:10the Aeon, in the Black Sea.
03:12The vessel is involved in transporting Russian crude oil during the G-7 and EU oil embargo
03:18and exports oil to China and India, according to Ukrainian intelligence.
03:22Russia's defense ministry claimed to have shot down 140 Ukrainian drones across Russia,
03:28Crimea, the Black Sea, and the Sea of Azov.
03:32Starobilsk Oil Depot Struck
03:34In a separate development, Ukrainian drones struck an oil depot in Starobilsk, Luhansk region,
03:40causing a large fire.
03:42Starobilsk is located more than 500 kilometers from the front line in Ukraine.
03:47Regional Governor Volodymyr Sokolov reported that an explosion at an industrial facility in
03:51the city was heard across Starobilsk, with a fire breaking out in a northern industrial
03:56area of the city.
Comments