KYIV, Ukraine (AP) \u2014 Ukraine says it has a new long-range weapon to strike deep into Russia without asking permission from allies \u2014 a homegrown combination of missile and drone that the defense minister vowed Monday would provide \u201canswers\u201d to a wave of Russian bombings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The \u201cPalianytsia\u201d was created due to urgent necessity, Ukrainian officials said, as Russia has dominated the skies since\u00a0the outbreak of the war in February 2022\u00a0and Ukraine\u2019s Western allies have placed conditions on use of their long-range missiles in Russia. On Monday, a wave of Russian missiles and drones targeted Ukraine\u2019s electrical infrastructure\u00a0in the largest such attack in weeks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDefenders of life should have no restrictions on weapons, as long as Russia uses all kinds of its own weapons,\u201d President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a Telegram message following the attacks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Zelenskyy confirmed on Saturday the existence of the Palianytsia, named after a type of Ukrainian bread and a word so notoriously difficult to pronounce correctly that it was used to unmask suspected spies early in the war. The Ukrainian president called it \u201ca new class\u201d of weapon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Saturday, which marked\u00a0Ukraine\u2019s 33rd anniversary\u00a0of independence from the former Soviet Union, also saw the first use of the new weapon, targeting a Russian military installation in the occupied territory, officials said without providing details.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Defense Minister Rustem Umerov promised Monday the weapon would be used again soon in response to the overnight attack on Ukraine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cUkraine is preparing its response. Weapons of its own production,\u201d he wrote on his Facebook page. \u201cThis once again proves that for victory, we need long-range capabilities and the lifting of restrictions on strikes on the enemy\u2019s military facilities.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A Ukrainian military video hinted that its range is up to 700 kilometers (430 miles) \u2014 on par with the U.S.-supplied ATACMS. It showed a map with various airfields, including Russia\u2019s Savasleyka air base, which lies within that range, adding that the Palianytsia can reach at least 20 Russian airfields.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The United States and other Western allies provide long-range weapons to Ukraine but restrict it from launching them deep into Russia for fear of escalating the war. Ukraine can target the border regions but wants to go deeper to attack Russia\u2019s military infrastructure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Institute for the Study of War said Russia was \u201cleveraging sanctuary space in deep rear areas.\u201d It estimated at least 250 militarily significant targets in Russia were within range of the ATACMS missiles, but current restrictions allow Ukraine to strike only 20 of them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ukraine\u2019s technology minister, Mykhailo Fedorov, told The Associated Press in his first interview about the new weapon that the next step was to scale up the production.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI think this will be a game changer because we will be able to strike where Russia doesn\u2019t expect it today,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Fedorov declined to elaborate on the range or current supply, citing security reasons, but said that he has been involved in the projects for developing domestic missiles since the end of 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ukraine\u2019s battlefields have become a deadly testing lab for new weapons and new adaptations of old ones. Both Ukrainian and Russian forces have rigged off-the-shelf equipment with explosives and military-grade infrared cameras; Russia has retrofitted Soviet-era unguided bombs with GPS harnesses; and Ukraine\u2019s underwater drones have crippled Russia\u2019s Black Sea fleet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But the new weapon has been a long-term goal of Ukraine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One of the specialists involved in the long-range missile project said it was \u201ca completely new development, from scratch\u201d that began about 18 months ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis is not an extension of an old Soviet project,\u201d said the specialist, speaking on condition of anonymity to safeguard the project\u2019s secrecy. The missile has a solid-fuel booster that accelerates it, followed by a jet engine, the specialist said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ukraine says its inability to fight back against Russian long-range weapons has deadly consequences. Ukraine\u2019s Commander-in-Chief Gen.\u00a0Oleksandr Syrskyi\u00a0said Russia has launched 9,627 long-range missiles and Ukraine\u2019s defense shot down only a quarter of them, and that more than half the Russian targets were civilian.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The specialist and Fedorov said each missile costs less than $1 million, and the military is turning to the private sector to bring down production costs further. \u201cThe private market generates solutions incredibly quickly,\u201d the minister said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As of this year, private companies have become the main suppliers of drones for the Ukrainian army, including those now striking inside Russia and the underwater ones that have repeatedly struck the Russian Black Sea fleet, said Fedorov.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAll types of missiles will be available in Ukraine,\u201d he said. \u201cIf we have our own weapons like this, we will feel more independent and confident.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Fedorov added that he believed Russia\u2019s vast size could also be its vulnerability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s impossible to produce enough air defense systems to protect such a large territory,\u201d he said. \u201cFor us, this opens up the possibility of operating deep behind enemy lines.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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