Russian forces have experience destroying missiles similar to Tomahawks — military expert

LUGANSK, October 8. /TASS/. Russian servicemen have experience destroying missiles similar to Tomahawks, which the United States has previously launched in Syria, military expert Andrey Marochko told TASS, noting that in the event Kiev begins using them, their effectiveness would be "extremely low." "If we consider the tactical and technical characteristics of the Tomahawks, and we are most likely talking about the early modifications, these are already outdated systems. Our servicemen have already encountered this type of ammunition while deployed in Syria. Overall, our military has practical experience in intercepting these missiles. So, even if Ukrainian militants start using Tomahawks, the effectiveness of these munitions will be extremely low," he said. That said, Marochko noted that Kiev’s initiation of Tomahawk use would "turn a new page in the conflict," as the missiles have a "significant range" of up to 1,500 km and their warheads "can carry various payloads, including nuclear ones." "That is, our air defense systems and our operators will only see a marker, but we naturally won’t be able to immediately determine the payload. But we have the means to respond, I have no doubt about that," the military expert stated. Russian President Vladimir Putin pointed out at the plenary session of the Valdai International Discussion Club on October 2 that using Tomahawk missiles would directly involve US troops, "which would mean an absolutely new, qualitatively new phase of escalation, including between Russia and the United States." Putin stressed on October 5 that Washington’s potential decision to send Tomahawk missiles to Kiev would destroy positive trends in Russia-US relations. Earlier, US leader Donald Trump noted that he had "sort of made a decision" on Tomahawk deliveries but provided no details.