The Iskander missile, which Russia launched over Kharkiv on August 23, exploded in the air, probably due to a technical malfunction, Ukrainian Pravda reports.

“Last night, all residents of Kharkiv heard an explosion right in the center of the city. Fortunately, they were not hurt! Debris of the rocket, which was “Iskander”, was found in the attic of the house after the fire. Many drew attention to the fact that the building was not destroyed. The fact is that the rocket exploded in the air. It is immediately clear that it is Russian-made,” Serhiy Bolvinov, the head of the investigative department of the police of the Kharkiv region, said on Facebook.

The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said that he has information from the Ukrainian special services and international partners that there is an increased threat these days, in the context of which Ukraine is celebrating Independence Day on August 24. The US has said it believes Russia will attack civilian and government infrastructure in the coming days. The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine advised Ukrainians to be especially careful.

Russia’s feared Iskander ballistic missile systems are using surprising munitions in Ukraine: decoys to bypass radars and fool infrared guided missiles, according to a US intelligence official.

According to him, the devices are about 33 centimeters long, arrow-shaped and have an orange tail.

What Iskander missiles does Russia use?

“Iskander” is a short-range mobile ballistic missile complex capable of hitting targets at a distance of up to 500 kilometers. Using the TEL launcher and support facilities, the system can also launch cruise missiles.

The Russian armed forces first used Iskander missiles during the 2008 invasion of Georgia. The Kremlin also sent a unit to Syria in 2016, but it was not used.

Russia also regularly sends Iskander systems to the Kaliningrad enclave, from where they can strike NATO forces in Poland and the Baltic states, as well as Finland and Sweden, which it threatened on Friday with “serious military consequences” if they tried to join North Atlantic Alliance.

The initial stages of the Russian invasion of Ukraine included strategic bombing of Ukrainian targets with cruise missiles and Iskander missiles. Such systems were transferred by Russia to Belarus as part of “joint military exercises” announced by Moscow and Minsk before the attack on Ukraine.