Ukrainian partisans sabotage Russian weapon supply line
The Ukrainian partisan group Atesh reported a successful sabotage operation that resulted in the destruction of railway sections in the Tver region. The Russians had been using this route to transport weapons from two storage depots.
Atesh claims that "the enemy's logistics suffered greatly." The damage caused 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 operation in the Tver Oblast
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, are of the utmost importance. They allow for targeting Ukrainian positions with high-damage missiles.
The Iskander-M system launches ballistic missiles over 23 feet in length and about 3 feet in diameter. Depending on the load, they can weigh from 6,600 lbs to almost 11,000 lbs and reach targets several hundred miles away. After launch, they accelerate to hypersonic speeds—more than Mach 7, or over 5,000 mph. 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 to be quite effective during the war in Ukraine and is used by both sides of the conflict. The missiles used here weigh around 4,400 lbs, with 1,058 lbs dedicated to the warhead. The range reaches about 75 miles.
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 caliber of 122 mm, Uragan systems with a caliber of 220 mm, and less frequently, the Smierch launchers with a caliber of 300 mm.
