Knife in the back! Putin calls Trump as Ukraine unleashes new US missiles

The integration of the US-developed Rusty Dagger cruise missile under the Extended Range Attack Munitions program fundamentally alters deep-strike economics by providing Ukraine with a mass-producible precision weapon costing approximately $250,000 per unit. Combining a 926-kilometer air-launched range, a 700 km/h speed, and warheads up to 112 kilograms, the system bridges the lethality gap between long-range drones and scarce Western cruise missiles. Multi-domain adaptability across F-16, Su-24, and booster-assisted ground platforms further expands launch capacity and operational survivability. Backed by a European-financed acquisition ceiling of 3,350 units, this scalable supply enables sustained salvo saturation alongside domestic Ukrainian munitions. Consequently, Russian air-defense networks face an acute cost-exchange dilemma between expending finite, high-value interceptors and leaving hardened military, industrial, and oil infrastructure exposed. Simultaneously, continuous redeployment of air-defense batteries across Russia’s vast territory generates recurring coverage gaps that coordinated strikes can systematically exploit. Ultimately, affordable mass-precision strike capability erodes Russia’s strategic depth and renders its current defensive posture economically and logistically unsustainable.

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