Russia using 5.5 tonne bombs to hit Ukraine grain supplies: UK

Russia is now using some of its “best weaponry” to target infrastructure housing and transporting Ukrainian grain since it withdrew from the Black Sea Grain Initiative, the UK ministry of defense said on Sunday.

Since leaving the grain initiative on July 17, Russia has struck grain storage and export infrastructure in Odesa.

“These attacks have featured the AS-4 Kitchen missiles: a 5.5 tonne weapon originally designed to destroy aircraft carriers,” the ministry said.

The resulting damage from those attacks has included several grain silos at Chornomorsk Port, and one way attack drones have struck the docks on the Danube river.

This led to thousands of tonnes of grain to be destroyed, causing grain prices to increase for hundreds of thousands of people across Africa as many African nations reply on Ukrainian supplies.

The AS-4 Kitchen missile, when deployed as a 5.5-tonne bomb, represents a unique use of this Soviet-era weapon. In this configuration, the missile's nuclear or conventional warhead is removed, and it is instead filled with a large amount of conventional explosives. The AS-4 Kitchen, originally designed as an air-launched cruise missile, was adapted for this purpose to function as a powerful gravity bomb. When dropped from an aircraft, it could cause significant destruction to enemy targets on the ground.

When used as a 5.5-tonne bomb, the AS-4 Kitchen missile had substantial destructive capabilities. The large payload of conventional explosives it carried could create a devastating impact on the target area upon impact. The destructive radius of the explosion could extend to several hundred meters, causing significant damage to structures, vehicles, and personnel within that range.

The blast effects of the AS-4 Kitchen, combined with its high-speed impact when dropped from an aircraft, made it a potent weapon for attacking enemy installations, airfields, ports, and other strategic targets. Its use as a 5.5-tonne bomb allowed for a broader and more dispersed area of destruction compared to its role as a precision-guided cruise missile.

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