Ukrainian partisans sabotage crucial Russian arms supply route
The Ukrainian partisan group Atesh reported a successful sabotage operation that led to the destruction of railway sections in the Tver region. The Russians used this route to transport weapons from two storage depots.
Atesh claims that "the enemy's logistics suffered greatly." The damage resulted in a disruption in supplies from two GRAU (Main Missile and Artillery Directorate Arsenal) depots — the 23rd and 107th. According to information provided by Atesh, the Russians store Iskander missiles, Tochka-U, and MLRS ammunition in these depots.
Sabotage action in the Tver region
The Russians have Iskander-M, Iskander-K, and Iskander-E systems in their arsenal. In the context of the war in Ukraine, the Iskander-M systems, which are most commonly used on the front lines, are of utmost importance. They allow for targeting Ukrainian positions with high-damage missiles.
The Iskander-M system launches ballistic missiles over 7 metres in length and about 1 metre in diameter. Depending on the load, they can weigh from 3,000 kg to almost 5,000 kg and reach targets several hundred kilometres away. After launch, they accelerate to hypersonic speeds—more than Mach 7, or over 8,000 km/h. For this reason, they are difficult to shoot down and can only be intercepted using the most advanced anti-aircraft systems (e.g., Patriot), which the Ukrainians continue to report shortages of.
Soviet weaponry valuable on the front
The Tochka-U is an older Soviet short-range ballistic missile system that has proven effective during the war in Ukraine and is used by both sides of the conflict. The missiles used here weigh around 2,000 kg, with 480 kg dedicated to the warhead. The range reaches about 120 kilometres.
The MLRS ammunition mentioned by the partisan group Atesh is used in multiple launch rocket systems. The Russians fighting in Ukraine most commonly use post-Soviet BM-21 Grad systems with a calibre of 122 mm, Uragan systems with a calibre of 220 mm, and less frequently the Smierch launchers with a calibre of 300 mm.
