This article examines the development and potential deployment of Russia’s controversial 9M370 Burevestnik (SSC-X-9 Skyfall) nuclear-powered cruise missile. Despite its theoretical capabilities and the potential to evade missile defenses, the missile has faced significant technical challenges and a poor testing record, raising questions about its operational viability and the risks it poses.
Russia has inadvertently dropped an X-59 missile onto its own territory close to the Ukraine border. The incident, which occurred near the village of Krasnoye in the Belgorod region on April 19th, marks the latest self-bombing incident in the ongoing war. The missile was discovered in a field and subsequently destroyed by the military, with no reported damage or casualties. Belgorod, situated near the Ukrainian border, has experienced multiple explosions throughout the conflict, with Russian authorities attributing them to accidental munitions drops. In the past two months alone, Russian forces are believed to have mistakenly dropped at least 21 aerial bombs on their own territory or occupied Ukrainian lands.
