Russia using deadly new ‘glide bombs’ to target civilians in Kharkiv

The Telegraph via Yahoo ^ | March 29th, 2024 | Cameron Henderson

[Mariner]

Russia has used a new type of “glide bomb” to strike civilian targets in the city of Kharkiv, Ukraine believes.

The bomb, a heavy “dumb” munition adapted to behave like a cruise missile, killed at least one and injured 19 as it hit apartment blocks in the country’s second largest city. It is the latest evidence of Russia’s changing tactical approach.

“This is something between a guided aerial bomb which they [the Russians] have used recently, and a missile. It’s a flying bomb so to say,” Volodymyr Tymoshko, the regional police chief, said after surveying the damage.

Russia has been dropping Soviet-era bombs retrofitted with wings so they can glide over the front lines to hit targets for more than a year. This enables Russian fighter jets to avoid getting too close to advanced Western air defence systems.

Shorter range “glide bombs” had previously been used on military targets to help Russia make incremental gains on the front lines. But longer range versions like the UMPB D-30 fired at Kharkiv are now hitting civilians.

Oleh Synehubov, the regional governor of Kharkiv, said: “It seems that the Russians decided to test their modified bombs on the residents of the houses.”

Military analysts suggest the bombs are a new configuration. Based on images of shrapnel from Wednesday’s strike, the latest design appears to have a turbo booster fitted to extend its range, a pair of wings to help it glide as well as minor GPS functionality.

[Mariner]

“Under your definition of “realpolitick” you would be on the side of the Axis during World War II and the Soviet Union during the Cold War. “

No.

In both cases the US had real interests at stake.

Unlike Ukraine...or the Baltics...or any of the recently added NATO countries.

I sure like to watch somebody try to make the case on why the US should engage existential war to defend Bulgaria or Latvia.

[BJ1]

You are wrong. Dresden was purposely set out for total destruction from Bomber Harris. And the USA fully participated in that air raid that went on for 2 or 3 day.

And many cities in Japan were set ablaze. Here’s an excerpt from history.com

“The cluster bombing of the downtown Tokyo suburb of Shitamachi had been approved only a few hours earlier. Shitamachi was composed of roughly 750,000 people living in cramped quarters in wooden-frame buildings. Setting ablaze this “paper city” was a kind of experiment in the effects of firebombing; it would also destroy the light industries, called “shadow factories,” that produced prefabricated war materials destined for Japanese aircraft factories.”