Russia's Threat to Kyiv's Underground Decision-Making Centers Faces Technical Challenges
Russia has reportedly threatened to target key decision-making centers in Kyiv, Ukraine, which are located deep underground. These centers include government institutions such as the Cabinet of Ministers and the Presidential Office. According to Ukraine's Defense Intelligence and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Russia may be planning strikes against these facilities. However, the technical challenge of penetrating such deeply buried targets is significant. The U.S. has demonstrated the difficulty of destroying underground facilities with advanced bunker-buster bombs, which can primarily collapse entrances rather than destroy entire systems. The most powerful U.S. bunker-buster, the GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator, can penetrate up to 60 meters of soil, but Russia lacks comparable weapons. The Russian KAB-1500L-Pr bomb can penetrate only 10 to 20 meters of soil, and its use would require Russian aircraft to fly over Kyiv, which is currently unrealistic due to Ukraine's air defenses. Russia's ballistic and...