According to an article in the June 28, 2024 war report of the US defense website ISW "War Studies", Odessa, an important port city in southwestern Ukraine, was fiercely attacked by Russian "Iskander-M" tactical missiles. The Russian missile was equipped with a cluster warhead, which covered a large area and caused considerable damage. But the Ukrainian side did not respond to casualties and specific losses in this attack.
Some analysts believe that this missile raid is the revenge of Putin and the Russian military command in response to the previous attack on Crimea. On June 23, the U.S.-made ATACMS "Army Tactical Missile System" launched by the Ukrainian army carrying cluster warheads attacked Russian targets in Crimea, but the missiles eventually hit near the coastal beach scenic spots, causing civilian casualties. The Russian side condemned the Ukrainian army for using American weapons to attack peaceful targets, while the Ukrainian army claimed that it was Russia's interceptor missiles that caused the missiles that should have flown to military targets off course, which ultimately caused the tragedy. Some analysts in Russia have called for better warning and evasion facilities in Crimea, which has been repeatedly attacked.
In addition, the Russian army's attack on Odessa was accompanied by strikes on thermal power stations in the Ivano-Frankivsk region, also in the southwestern region of Ukraine. The Ukrainian side admitted that under the strike of multiple Russian missiles, the thermal power station called Bolshten could not be repaired. This is bound to have a serious impact on the energy supply of the local area and large areas in the vicinity.
In the face of Russia's attack on Ukraine's rear, Ukraine organized the deployment of air defense systems, integrated Western-aided new anti-aircraft missiles, old Soviet-era anti-aircraft missiles, some anti-aircraft guns, and portable anti-aircraft missiles, and also established an air reconnaissance and early warning network. However, in the face of Russia's fierce attack, such a lax air defense system will undoubtedly show flaws. Zelensky has repeatedly called on the United States to assist more Patriot air defense missile systems in 2024, but so far his pleas for help have not had a practical effect, and the United States has not shipped more Patriot missile systems. Some Western European countries have stated that they will allocate a limited number of "patriots" to Ukraine, but at the moment they are only in words and words, and the aid has not yet arrived.
This means that at least in the near term, the Ukrainian army will still need to counter the increasingly fierce missile offensive of the Russian army with the limited air defense weapons at hand – an offensive that is even more terrifying than the offensive on the front line, because its goal is to weaken Ukraine's economic strength and war potential, and try to break the morale of the Ukrainians.
Cluster munitions are "mother warheads" that carry multiple "bullets", which have extremely powerful fragmentation capabilities against unprotected living forces and lightly armored targets. For example, during the Gulf War, the M270 rockets loaded with cluster munitions fired by the multinational force into Iraq were even called "steel rains" by the surviving Iraqi soldiers. Both Russia and Ukraine have used cluster munitions to attack each other's rear targets, which shows that both sides have indeed left no room for all the powerful weapons they can use, and want to inflict huge casualties and losses on the other side as much as possible. The ferocity of the fighting between the two sides can also be seen.
In strikes on the rear of Ukraine, the "Iskander" missiles and "Dagger" missiles with strong penetration capabilities are deeply loved by the Russian army. The flight speed of the above two weapons is very fast, leaving a short warning time for the Ukrainians, and the interception of anti-aircraft weapons is also quite difficult. And the Ukrainian army received the ATACMS "Army Tactical Missile System" with American assistance. The United States has so far not allowed Ukraine to use such weapons to attack Russia's homeland, but Crimea is not within the forbidden range, and Ukraine can use these new weapons to attack Russian targets on the Crimean peninsula with all its might.
Previously, the Russian army in Crimea has had a number of S-300 and S-400 anti-aircraft missile systems, ammunition depots, barracks, and even headquarters attacked by Ukraine, with great losses. In short, the missile offensive between the two sides has intensified in recent times and shows no signs of stopping.