Russia has begun to produce and use an upgraded version of the X-101 missile in Ukraine - it has a double warhead and, accordingly, causes more damage. This is stated in a report by British intelligence and Defense Express material.

The installation of a second warhead reduces the range of the X-101 (Western name - AS-23 “Kodiak”), but it is enough for strikes across the entire territory of Ukraine.

The additional warhead is designed to increase fragmentation damage to the target. This likely makes the missile more effective at hitting unprotected targets, according to British intelligence.

Defense Express points out that Russia has been using such missiles since the end of March. At least one of them was shot down during the repelling of a missile attack on May 8.

The serial number on this cruise missile indicates that it was manufactured in the second quarter of 2024, meaning that the Russians took this X-101 literally off the assembly line to strike Ukraine.

In addition to the standard warhead weighing 450 kilograms, there was also an additional warhead weighing 350 kilograms, for a total of 800 kilograms. The publication claims that the Russians were able to install the second warhead on the X-101 by reducing the size of the fuel tank and reducing the flight range from about 5,500 km to 2,250 km.