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Humiliation for Putin after new missiles ‘plunge into sea and narrowly miss flats’
Metro
Gergana KrastevaTuesday
2 May 2023 10:40 am
https://metro.co.uk/2023/05/02/humiliation-for-vladimir-putin-after-new-russian-missiles-plunge-into-sea-18707102/

A new wave of Russian missiles plunged into the Caspian Sea after ‘technical malfunctioning’, it has been reported.

Launched from a Tu-95MS – one of Vladimir Putin’s Soviet nuclear bombers – the three rockets were aimed at Ukraine.

The alleged blunder could have seen them hit Russian residential buildings, said Crimean Wind Telegram channel, citing a Moscow military source.

‌’It was very lucky that they fell right away,’ said the Russian general staff source.

‘They could have flown a little further and fallen on residential buildings, killing a lot of people.

‌’If we don’t figure out the reasons for the fall of the missiles, then such a tragedy is a matter of time.’

Russia has been regularly firing cruise missiles at Ukraine from over the Caspian Sea, killing civilians in Kharkiv, Dnipro, Lviv and Odesa.

There has already been much speculation about the malfunction, which caused further embarrassment to Putin’s army.

The source claimed the cause of the failure may be Western sanctions, forcing makers to use inferior components.

‌Other causes could be ‘negligence in the assembly’ or theft of components to flock on the black market.

This incident comes after two bombs unleashed from a Russian Su-34 mistakenly slammed into Belgorod city, close to the Ukrainian border.

Iurii Ihnat, spokesperson for the Air Force Command of the Ukraine, said recently that Russia is firing its missiles from the Caspian Sea because of their unreliability.

The ‘freelance descent of aviation munitions’ in Belgorod last week was not the first.

An explosion in such a large city was impossible to hide, so Russia had to admit the mistake, he stressed.

‘Why are they allowed to launch from the Caspian Sea?’ Mr Ihnat added. ‘Because a rocket fired from a war plane does not always start and fly to its target.

‘It just falls. It’s easier when it falls into the Caspian Sea than somewhere in Russia, on the head of Russians.’

The bear bombers have been releasing ALCMs over the Caspian Sea for months. I am willing to bet that these 3 missiles are not the first missiles to sink to the bottom of the Caspian Sea.

Here's a list of possible reasons:

1. Pilot error...failure to arm the missile.
2. Battery not installed...batteries are very expensive and easy to pilfer.
3. Battery not serviceable...missiles are old and not properly maintained.
4. Missile wings don't deploy...Once again, caused by improper maintenance or storage.
5. Rocket motor doesn't ignite...Once again, caused by improper maintenance or storage.

The one question I would like to ask is: How were these missile failures detected?