Oreshnik missiles. Photo: Kremlin-aligned Russian news agency

Russia will close its airspace over the Kapustin Yar missile testing range for two days on 12 and 13 May to allow for the potential launch of ballistic missiles.

Source: Ukrainian military news outlet Militarnyi, citing the official NOTAMs website

Details: Militarnyi noted that the conditions for the airspace closure might indicate the possible launch of ballistic missiles.

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Particularly noteworthy is the specified altitude range to be closed: from ground level to an unlimited height.

The restriction applies to all aircraft that may fly in this area on 12 and 13 May from 06:00 to 16:00 local time.

A similar flight ban was previously in place on 21 November 2024, ahead of a ballistic missile strike by a Kedr (Oreshnik) missile on Dnipro.

For reference: The Russian medium-range ballistic missile Oreshnik was developed based on the RS-26 Rubezh intercontinental ballistic missile.

The missile is equipped with six warheads, each containing six sub-munitions. Its speed at the final phase of the trajectory is over 11 Mach, which is 3.7 km per second.

Tests of the missile system took place at the Kapustin Yar range in October 2023 and June 2024.

Previously: The US Embassy in Ukraine urged American citizens present in the country on the evening of 9 May to be cautious due to the risk of a large-scale airstrike “over the next several days”.

Background:


Ukraine’s Air Force noted that Russia had used an intercontinental ballistic missile during the missile attack on the city of Dnipro on 21 November 2024. Ukrainska Pravda sources reported that it could have been a Rubezh missile, a potential carrier of nuclear warheads.
Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin stated in an address that Russia had used the Oreshnik medium-range missile during the morning attack on Dnipro on 21 November.
The United States officially confirmed that on the morning of 21 November, Russia had struck Dnipro with a ballistic missile based on the RS-26 Rubezh intercontinental ballistic missile.

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