Military expert explained what Russian Federation could have used to shell the centre of Odessa
The Transfiguration Cathedral in Odessa was hit by a Russian missile, not an air defence missile, on the night of 23 July.
An anti-aircraft missile used by air defence systems is not capable of causing such destruction. This opinion was expressed on Facebook by a military and political observer of the Information Resistance group, Oleksandr Kovalenko, who analysed the destruction at the site of the terrorist attack.
According to the political-military observer, the actually registered damage after the attack in Odessa is probably caused by a missile warhead of about 300kg. This could indicate the use of Onyx or Kalibr missiles. Official data confirms that all 4 Kalibr cruise missiles fired at Odessa were shot down. However, it should be taken into account that Kalibr missiles can have different types of damage - detonation in the air or damage to the fuel system, which can cause the warhead to be triggered after falling.
According to the observer, it is also possible that the strike on the historic centre of Odessa was carried out by an Onyx missile, which has similar warheads as the Kalibr and could therefore cause similar damage. Propaganda statements about a Ukrainian air defence missile hitting the cathedral are considered complete nonsense, as anti-aircraft missiles have a completely different principle of action and fragmentation effect.
on 23 July, a series of explosions took place in Odessa, damaging residential buildings and the cathedral. According to OC South, the attacks were carried out by the Russian armed forces using various types of missiles, including Kh-22, Kalibras, Onyx, Iskander-K and Iskander-M ballistic missiles. More than twenty people were injured and one civilian was killed.