Russia uses Iskander-M missiles with delayed-detonation cluster warheads targeting first responders
Russia has begun using Iskander-M ballistic missiles equipped with cluster warheads whose submunitions detonate 20 to 30 minutes after impact, targeting paramedics, firefighters, and civilians who respond to the initial strike, according to Ukrainian air-threat monitor eRadar. The delay automates Russia's documented "double-tap" doctrine, which previously required a second missile fired 30 to 40 minutes later. On 4 April 2025, an Iskander cluster missile killed 20 civilians in Kryvyi Rih, including nine children, in what the UN called the deadliest single attack on Ukrainian children since the full-scale war began.
Russia has begun using Iskander-M ballistic missiles equipped with cluster warheads whose submunitions detonate 20 to 30 minutes after impact, targeting paramedics, firefighters, and civilians who respond to the initial strike, according to Ukrainian air-threat monitor eRadar.
The submunitions scatter hundreds of meters from the strike point before detonating, putting at risk anyone who arrives at the site or evacuates from adjacent buildings. The delay automates Russia's documented "double-tap" doctrine, which previously required a second missile fired 30 to 40 minutes after the first to kill responders. The new munition achieves that effect automatically.
The tactic targets exactly the population that responds to a strike: paramedics, firefighters, neighbors arriving to help, and civilians evacuating from buildings damaged by the initial impact. Ukrainian authorities urge anyone in proximity to a strike site to keep a distance, avoid suspicious objects, and wait for explosive ordnance disposal teams.
On 4 April 2025, an Iskander cluster missile struck a residential neighborhood in Kryvyi Rih, including a playground, killing 20 civilians, including nine children. According to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, it was the deadliest single attack on Ukrainian children since the full-scale war began. The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights documented "hundreds of fragments" hitting homes, playgrounds, and trees, and described the strike as "reckless disregard for civilian life" that may constitute a war crime.