GS Paper - II

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, on 24 August 2024, confirmed the existence of a new homegrown long-range weapon — a missile-drone hybrid — which can strike deep into Russia.

The Palianytsia was used for the first time on 24 August 2024 to target a Russian military installation, officials said without providing further details.

What is the Palianytsia?

• The Palianytsia was born out of necessity, with its development starting some 18 months ago.
• Currently, the United States and other Western allies provide long-range weapons to Ukraine but restrict their usage deep into Russian territory out of fears of further escalation.
• The Institute for the Study of War said that Russia was “leveraging sanctuary space in deep rear areas” for military infrastructure.
• It estimated at least 250 militarily significant targets in Russia were within range of the ATACMS missiles, but current restrictions allow Ukraine to strike only 20 of them.

Possibly, a game-changer

• The Palianytsia with a 700-km range, comparable to the ATACMS, will allow Ukraine to bypass western restrictions.
• Ukraine’s technology minister, Mykhailo Fedorov, told The Associated Press that “this will be a game changer” because Ukraine will be able to “strike where Russia doesn’t expect it today”.
• He added: “It’s impossible to produce enough air defense systems to protect such a large territory [Russia]… [the Palianytsia] opens up the possibility of operating deep behind enemy lines.
• The missile has a solid-fuel booster that accelerates it, followed by a jet engine, a specialist told The AP.
• Each missile costs less than $1 million, and the military is turning to the private sector to bring down production costs further.