One of the two Russian cruise missiles shot down by the Kyiv Air Defense Forces on Thursday was the Kh-55, which had an empty compartment instead of a nuclear warhead, according to a source in the Ukrainian publication Defense Express.

Instead of a nuclear warhead, a segment without any payload was “screwed” into this Russian missile.

It’s simple – for this strike, they took at least one X-55 from their “nuclear arsenal”, “unscrewed” the nuclear warhead, replaced it with an empty “segment” and fired at Ukraine, the cited source notes.

It should be noted that the X-55 is a missile designed to carry only nuclear warheads. There is also a modified version of the Kh-555 missile, equipped with conventional warheads (classic explosives). This model was often used in Moscow’s strikes against Ukraine.

But the Kh-55 is a Soviet missile specially designed as a carrier of nuclear weapons, with a so-called “special warhead” (this is how a nuclear warhead is designated in Soviet and Russian military jargon). differ from a structural point of view.

Apparently, the Russians removed the “special warhead” from the X-55, but did not have the opportunity to load a conventional warhead there. So they screwed the hollow segment into the missile used in the attack.

Possible explanations for the strange decision to use a rocket without a payload

While the decision to launch an uncharged missile may seem irrational at first glance, there are several explanations for why Vladimir Putin’s military used it.

Perhaps the forces involved in the preparation and execution of the attack were simply following orders to launch a powerful salvo of cruise missiles on Thursday. This decision could indicate that the stockpile of cruise missiles of the Russian Federation has fallen to a critical level.

Another possible explanation is that the Russians deliberately used the X-55 without a nuclear warhead to defeat Ukrainian air defenses and increase the chances of other cruise missiles getting past them.

The Russians have used this tactic before, particularly early in the war when they also launched Soviet Tu-243 drones to defeat air defenses.

Defense Express reports that the Russians were forced to use the X-55 for the attack because supplies of the newer X-101s with conventional warheads (the nuclear delivery variant is designated as the X-102) are running low.

According to the sources of the cited publication, during the wave of attacks on Tuesday, the Kh-101, manufactured in the third quarter of this year, was shot down. Very important information considering the fact that the Russian army (and any army in general) uses old missiles first, and then new ones.