The British Ministry of Defense on Saturday suggested that Russia might be using older cruise missiles without nuclear warheads against Ukraine.
“Russia is likely removing the nuclear warheads from aging nuclear cruise missiles and firing the unarmed munitions at Ukraine,” the U.K. said in a tweeted defense intelligence update.
U.K. Intelligence came to that conclusion based on open source imagery showing the wreckage of a Russian missile which was designed in the 1980s as a nuclear weapon and is now probably used with no explosive head, the ministry said.
“Whatever Russia’s intent, this improvisation highlights the level of depletion in Russia’s stock of long-range missiles,” the ministry said, noting that using that type of missile with no nuclear warhead can “still produce some damage” but “is unlikely to achieve reliable effects against intended targets.”