Russia sent Bastion-P and supersonic Oniks missile to aim in Finland

The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation has sent at least two K-300P Bastion-P [NATO reporting name SS-C-5 Stooge] mobile coastal defense missile systems near its border with Finland. The news was first spread by the British online portal Daily Mail, which distributed a video of the spotted missile technology heading to the border with Finland.

One battery consists of two heavy vehicles – the K-300P Bastion-P rocket carrier and a vehicle with a control point for controlling the system’s fire. The distance from the Russian city of Vyborg or Svetogorsk [Leningrad region], which is on the border with Finland to the capital Helsinki is less than 600 km by air.

Yesterday, April 12, Sanna Marin, Prime Minister of Finland, announced that the discussion on whether Finland should join NATO would end soon [towards the end of the summer, according to Marin]. Just 12 months ago, 59 percent of the Finnish population considered Russia a “significant military threat,” while today it is 84 percent.

The dispatch of the two coastal missile complexes is Moscow’s response to Sanna Marin’s statement. Dmitry Peskov, a Kremlin spokesman, said yesterday that such action by Finland [NATO accession] would in no way improve the situation in Europe.

However, Ukrainian media believe that Western journalists do not read correctly the situation with the video missile systems. According to the Ukrainian online portal Defense Express, Moscow is running out of 9M72 Iskander quasi-ballistic missile systems and is therefore forced to “show military power” by sending missile systems from its Baltic Fleet.

SS-N-26 Strobile (P-800 Oniks)

SS-N-26 Strobile [P-800 Oniks] is a missile from the end of the Soviet era [1987-1988], which continues to be updated and upgraded to this day. She was officially accepted into the Main Missile and Artillery Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation in 2002.

The SS-N-26 Strobile was originally designed as an anti-ship cruise missile, but over the years the Russians have increased its use and today it is also used as a surface-to-surface missile, as is the case with a press release issued by the Russian Defense Ministry. In addition to the ship, the SS-N-26 Strobile can be launched from a submarine, as well as the K-300P Bastion-P ground-based missile system.

SS-N-26 Strobile weighs 3 tons and is powered by a ramjet, which provides 4 tons of traction. The operational range of the missile is from 600 to 800 km for the Russian Armed Forces, while for export the missile has a maximum range of 300 km. Reaches a top speed between Mach 2 and 3, flies at a maximum altitude of 14,000 meters, and navigates through midcourse inertial guidance, active radar homing-passive radar seeker head.

The warhead of SS-N-26 Strobile is 300 kg semi-armor piercing HE, thermonuclear. However, the export version has a warhead 200 kg semi-armor piercing HE. Both types have delay fuze.