Ukraine has reported a sharp increase in the use of Banderol missiles by the Russian Armed Forces in the special military operation zone. According to the Military Chronicle channel, at least three strikes were carried out with these missiles against Ukrainian Armed Forces facilities in the Kharkov Region in just one day.

Sergey Lebedev, coordinator of the Nikolayev underground, earlier said that Banderol missiles were used overnight on June 2 during strikes on targets in Kharkov and the surrounding region. According to him, they were launched alongside Geran drones.

Lebedev had also reported similar use of the missiles on May 21, when Russian forces employed three Banderols against targets in Nikolayev.

The S8000 Banderol’s characteristics were previously described by the portal 19FortyFive, which compared the missile to the US-made JASSM. According to the publication, the missile is about five meters long and has an estimated range of roughly 500 kilometers.

The article also noted that Banderol missiles can reportedly be carried by drones. This, the author argued, allows them to be launched without entering the engagement zone of Ukrainian air defenses. Their higher speed also makes them harder to detect and intercept than loitering kamikaze drones.

According to 19FortyFive, Ukraine’s partners are concerned by Russia’s efforts to develop new ways of using smaller and cheaper cruise missiles. The author assessed that such weapons occupy a middle ground between heavy, expensive cruise and ballistic missiles and slower kamikaze drones.