Russia launched a combined missile strike on Ukraine.

Unlike the previous strikes, the Russian invaders carried out this one late at night. It was preceded by a reconnaissance of Ukrainian air defense positions.

The Air Force Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that on the night of February 16, Russian invasion troops launched a massive missile attack on critical infrastructure facilities of Ukraine.

According to Valerii Zaluzhnyi, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, a total of 36 missiles were used. They included many Kh-22 missiles, which Ukrainian air defense is currently unable to combat.

Valerii Zaluzhnyi reported that between 01:40 am and 03:45 am, the Russians launched air- and sea-launched cruise missiles, as well as guided airborne missiles. One anti-ship missile was also used.

“12 Kh-101/555 air-launched cruise missiles, 8 Kalibr sea-launched cruise missiles, 12 Kh-22 air-launched cruise anti-ship missiles, 3 Kh-59/31 guided aircraft missiles, and one Onyx anti-ship missile were used,” Zaluzhnyi said.

The Russians used Tu-22М3 and Tu-95MS bomber jets to launch the missiles. They operated from the Kursk region and the Caspian Sea.

Two Su-35 fighter jets launched missiles from the area of temporarily occupied Melitopol. Kalibr cruise missile carriers aimed at Ukraine from the Black Sea. Hits were recorded in the north and west of Ukraine, and in the Dnipropetrovsk, Poltava, and Kirovograd regions.

“14 cruise missiles and two guided missiles were destroyed by the forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine,” Zaluzhnyi stressed.

The Air Force reported that some of the Kh-22 cruise missiles reached their targets, hitting critical infrastructure facilities. The Armed Forces of Ukraine currently do not have weapons (air defense/missile defense systems) capable of destroying this type of Russian missile.

Before this nighttime missile strike, the Russians changed the tactics of using their long-range missile weapons. The day before, they used balloons with angular reflectors and reconnaissance drones to identify the positions of Ukrainian air defense systems to increase the effectiveness of their missile strikes.

The Ukrainian military reported the use of balloons with reflectors by Russian troops on February 12.