Revealing Russia's 'game-changing' weapon in Ukraine

In a video that appears to have been taken from a camera mounted on the side of the aircraft, several bombs can be seen falling and then immediately opening their wings. These bombs are equipped with a special unified planning and correction module (UMPC), which turns ordinary free-fall bombs into guided glide munitions. The FAB-500 airborne gravity bombs are powerful, each carrying a 300 kg payload. The UMPC system was also used on Soviet-era airborne gravity bombs such as the FAB-1500 – a 1.5 ton weapon, nearly half of which consists of high explosives – to turn them into highly effective glide munitions.

According to Western experts and media outlets such as the Washington Post and CNN, these modernized bombs have proven to be “remarkably” effective against Ukrainian forces, as Kiev’s military cannot effectively defend against such munitions. With the ability to travel long distances with precision, UMPC-equipped bombs can be fired from Russian jets beyond the range of Kiev’s existing air defense systems, leaving Ukrainian forces defenseless against them. Ukrainian commanders also noted the “very high destructive power” of these munitions.

Dmitry Lykhoviy, a spokesman for the Ukrainian military, said the Russian bombs were capable of completely destroying houses and foundations used as defensive fortifications. “These bombs completely destroyed any position. All buildings and structures simply turned into a hole after just one bomb,” recalled a fighter from the Ukrainian assault brigade operating near the stronghold town of Avdeevka, which was captured by Russian forces last month.

Russia is said to have "significantly" increased the rate at which it uses these bombs to attack Ukrainian positions, especially around Avdeevka, leading to heavy casualties./.