Kalibr missile carrier still deployed in Black Sea 

A missile carrier with Kalibr cruise missiles on board is still deployed in the Black Sea after launch of missiles on Friday 16 December. 

Source: Natalia Humeniuk, Head of the United Coordination Press Centre of the Defence Forces of Southern Ukraine, during the 24/7 national joint newscast

Quote: "At the moment, the same missile carrier that has launched at least five Kalibr missiles [on Friday, 16 December - ed.] is still deployed in the Black Sea.

We know that it was equipped with eight Kalibr missiles. It is likely that the carrier is ready [to launch the rest of the missiles - ed.]. We also warn that other missile carriers might enter the area in a very short time. 

Moreover, let us not forget that the enemy is using attack drones that they can also use to exacerbate the effect of the earlier attack. This kind of tactic has been used by them before."

Details: Humeniuk noted that a massive missile attack on Friday by dispersed Russian forces was intended to exhaust the air defence of Ukraine. 

"They used strategic aviation on different fronts, as well as put their missile carrier on combat duty in the area, where he wasn’t before", she said. 

Humeniuk answered in the affirmative to the question of whether the missile carrier needs to return to its home base in Sevastopol to reload. "Yes, as a rule, this is how it is done. It goes to the base and reloads" she said.

At the same time, the head of the press centre of the Operational Command Pivden,  emphasised that the Russians have several missile carriers, including submarines.

"And detection of launches specifically from underwater carriers is somewhat complicated for the air defence system. Therefore, it is often the case that the strike occurs even before the air-raid siren," she noted.

Background: On 15 December, after a pause of six days, a Kalibr cruise missile carrier appeared in the Black Sea with a total salvo of eight missiles. In addition, it was reported that the Russians have two ships in the Sea of Azov, nine in the Mediterranean Sea, five of which are Kalibr missile carriers, with a total salvo of 72 missiles.

On December 16, Russians launched 76 missiles at Ukraine, including 72 cruise missiles. Ukraine’s air defence forces downed 60 of them.

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