Russia is now using older Tochka-U missile launchers against Ukraine, as seen in Desnyanka, 40 km from the border with Belarus.
Videos and photos show a tell-tale 9M79M booster familiar from Syria and Karabakh
It typically remains intact when a cluster warhead is used.
Over the past few years, Russia has gradually switched the Tochkas in its rocket brigades for newer Iskanders. The 47th brigade was the last to do so, and evidence suggests it has used Tochka missiles during the siege of Mariupol in Eastern Ukraine.
ukrinform.ru/rubric-ato/341…
However, as @MotolkoHelp reports, just recently Tochka-U launchers turned up in Belarus, where they proceeded to the border with Ukraine.
Desnyanka is but 40 km from the border, the 70km range of the 9M79M missile would allow it to hit from Belarus.
One potential reason for using Tochkas is that Russia may be running out of newer Iskander missiles, which are constantly launched from Belarus.
Another possibility is that the Tochkas are to supplement, not replace the Iskanders, to support stalled offensives in the north.
Tochkas have a worse reach and (stated) accuracy than Russia's newer ballistic and cruise missiles, but the latter still pose a major threat, and today's strike in Vinnytsya airport is evidence of this.
We will continue monitoring the situation closely.
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