U-turn from the Sky Back to Balhaeji with a 'Bang'... Russian Missile's 'Absurd' Malfunction

Recently, near the village of Alchevsk, about 89 km south of Severodonetsk, a key point on the eastern Donbas front in Ukraine, one of four Russian-made missiles fired by the pro-Russian forces of the Luhansk People's Republic (LPR) suddenly changed direction immediately after launch and fell back into the launch area.
[Photo by Twitter]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hwang Sumi] A Russian missile launched from Ukraine was reported to have turned back mid-air. Although the exact cause has not yet been revealed, it is analyzed to be an accident caused by a malfunction.

Recently, foreign media including the British Telegraph reported the incident that occurred near the village of Alchevsk, about 89 km south of Severodonetsk, a key point on the eastern Donbas front in Ukraine.

According to the report, one of the four Russian-made missiles fired by the pro-Russian forces of the Luhansk People's Republic (LPR) suddenly changed direction right after launch and fell back in the launch area.

Foreign media view this as an accident caused by a malfunction. The possibility of hacking or interference by Ukrainian drones is considered low. However, the exact cause of the malfunction has not yet been identified.

The possibility of malfunctions in Russian weapons has been mentioned before. A senior U.S. Department of Defense official analyzed that the rate of malfunctions in Russian precision-guided weapons used in the Ukraine war is much higher than expected. Ukraine also believes that more than half of Russian missiles malfunctioned or missed their targets. At the end of March, the Ukrainian General Staff announced that since Russia began its invasion on February 24, about 1,200 cruise missiles were launched, but approximately 59% of them either failed to detonate, were shot down, or missed their targets.

Meanwhile, it was reported that the Ukrainian army withdrew from Severodonetsk on the 24th (local time). According to CNN and others on that day, Roman Vlasenko, head of the Severodonetsk military administration, stated, "The Ukrainian army has been withdrawing from Severodonetsk since the day before." However, the operation is expected to continue for several days, and several units still remain in Donbas. He did not specify where they are withdrawing to.

This has led to analyses suggesting that the Russian army has effectively taken control of Donbas. However, there is also an opposite interpretation calling it a "strategic retreat." A senior U.S. official told CNN, "The Ukrainian army is conducting a professional and tactical withdrawal to establish a better defensive posture."