Moscow Strikes Ukrainian Government Building With Iskander-K Missile, But It Fails to Detonate

Russia launched an attack on Ukraine’s Government Building, firing an Iskander-K cruise missile, whose warhead failed to detonate.

A photograph of the missile fragments was shared by Katarína Mathernová, Head of the European Union Delegation to Ukraine.

“Putin certainly knows what he’s doing. The Iskander ballistic missile that struck the Cabinet of Ministers was precisely aimed at the heart of Ukraine’s government,” Mathernová stated.

In the morning, she visited the Cabinet of Ministers building along with other heads of diplomatic missions. The delegation of diplomats was accompanied by Prime Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko, as well as the heads of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

According to Ukrainian authorities, during Russia’s massive combined attack on the night of September 7th, the missile struck the upper part of the Cabinet of Ministers building.

A fire erupted on the upper floors, caused by the ignition of fuel from the missile’s tanks.

Despite the risks, emergency responders acted swiftly to contain the blaze, preventing its spread throughout the building.

As part of the ongoing assault, Ukrainian Security and Defense Forces successfully neutralized 747 enemy Shahed-type drones and various imitation drones, as well as 4 Iskander-K cruise missiles.

Simultaneously, 9 missiles and 56 strike UAVs targeted 37 locations across the country, with debris from the intercepted targets falling in an additional 8 areas.

“The building was spared total destruction only because the missile failed to detonate fully. Moreover, due to the rapid response of the extraordinary Ukrainian rescue teams – true heroes – the fire was contained to three floors,” highlighted Mathernová.

The characteristics of the latest version of the Iskander-K cruise missile system have been officially classified by Russia.

It is known, however, that the earlier R-500 missiles launched by this system are approximately 6.2 meters in length, with a diameter of 0.5 meters, a wingspan of about 3.08 meters, and a launch weight of around 2000 kg. The missile is capable of carrying a warhead weighing up to 500 kg and has a claimed range of up to 500 km.

The launch is carried out using the 9P78-1 launcher, which is capable of carrying two missiles – the same launcher is used for the Iskander-M ballistic missiles.