Russia's $30 Million Missile Blew Up Some Garages. The Real Targets May Have Been Parked Bombers.

What did the Oreshnik missile target in Bila Tserkva?

On Saturday night, Russia launched an Oreshnik intermediate-range ballistic missile at Ukraine. The missile deployed six warheads, each with six non-explosive rods. The 36 munitions streaked down on Bila Tserkva, 40 miles south of Kyiv—and blew up a few garages.

Four people died in Russian attacks on Kyiv on Saturday night—attacks that damaged several cultural sites including two museums and an historic market—but it’s not clear anyone died in Bila Tserkva.

The Russians weren’t targeting those garages, of course. The Oreshnik is a rare and expensive asset, after all. So what were the Russians aiming at?

The Ukrainian air force airfield just outside Bila Tserkva, perhaps. The airfield is home to the 1333rd Reserve and Scrap Aviation Base, which looks after the air force’s stock of derelict Sukhoi Su-24 bombers. In recent satellite imagery, no fewer than 30 of the swing-wing bombers are visible crammed onto the apron.