Kalibr (3M-14): flight time to Kyiv and where it is launched from

The Kalibr (3M-14) is a subsonic cruise missile that Russia launches from ships and submarines. In 2026 it is launched mostly straight from Novorossiysk harbour and from the Caspian Sea. It flies low, at 650–860 km/h; from Novorossiysk to Kyiv it takes at least 1 h 15 min in a straight line, and the real route is longer: the missile flies through pre-set waypoints.

The camouflaged body of a downed Kalibr cruise missile lying in bushes — The body of a Kalibr shot down by Ukrainian air defence on 8 August 2022. Photo: Ukrainian Air Force Command, CC BY 4.0.

How long the Kalibr takes to reach Kyiv, Kharkiv, Dnipro, Odesa and Lviv

Novorossiysk → Kyiv · 837 km 1 h 15 min straight line at 650 km/h

The times below are straight-line from the launch area to the city centre, at the speed the map uses (650 km/h — the average along the route). They are a lower bound: Kalibrs fly through pre-set waypoints, and the routes change every time with the weather and intelligence ^[7]. For comparison, the media estimate the flight from the Black Sea to Kyiv at over 40 minutes and from the Caspian at over an hour ^[2]; from the Caspian to Ukraine's border the missile flies 40–90 minutes ^[15].

Kalibr flight time from launch areas to cities (straight line)
From	Kyiv	Kharkiv	Dnipro	Odesa	Lviv
Novorossiysk	1 h 15 min 837 km	55 min 598 km	43 min 465 km	54 min 582 km	1 h 50 min 1180 km
Caspian Sea	2 h 20 min 1530 km	1 h 45 min 1142 km	1 h 45 min 1146 km	2 h 10 min 1416 km	3 h 1958 km
Crimea (Sevastopol)	1 h 5 min 688 km	58 min 633 km	41 min 445 km	28 min 303 km	1 h 25 min 923 km

Because the missile is subsonic there is time to warn people: according to the Navy spokesman, early detection makes timely warning possible ^[5]. The map computes the time to arrival from each missile's current position.

Where Kalibrs are launched from in 2026

Straight from Novorossiysk harbour. According to Navy spokesman Dmytro Pletenchuk, Black Sea Fleet ships no longer go to sea: since summer 2026 Kalibrs have been fired from the base itself, one to three times a month. At least two Buyan-M corvettes and two Kilo-class submarines remain as carriers, with a maximum salvo of about 30 missiles ^[3] ^[4].
From the Caspian Sea — on 14 March, 2 June, 17 September and 7 October 2026 ^[7] ^[8].
From occupied Crimea — mentioned in the summary for 14 March 2026 ^[11].

Strikes on Novorossiysk in August and September 2026 hit several carriers; British intelligence estimates that about 40 % of the Black Sea Fleet's surface Kalibr carriers will not be able to fire them in the near term ^[6].

Kalibr speed

On the Alarm Maps map — average along the route 650 km/h
Open data (180–240 m/s) 650–860 km/h

For most of the route the missile flies at about 800 km/h ^[2]. Altitude: 50–150 m over land and up to 50 m over the sea; it follows the terrain ^[1].

Is the Kalibr a ballistic missile?

No, it is a sea-launched cruise missile: subsonic, with a turbojet, flying low along a route. In its summaries the Air Force counts Kalibrs together with the Kh-101 and Iskander-K cruise missiles, not with ballistic ones ^[8]. Ballistic missiles — the Iskander-M, the KN-23, the Kinzhal — fly tens of times faster.

Kalibr vs Kh-101: the difference

	Kalibr (3M-14)	Kh-101
Carrier	ships and submarines	Tu-95MS and Tu-160 bombers
Launched from in 2026	Novorossiysk harbour, the Caspian Sea	the air, mostly over the Caspian
Speed	650–860 km/h	~700 km/h
Range	1,500–2,500 km	~2,500 km (Ministry of Defence)
Warhead	~450 kg; since 2026 also cluster	~480 kg; tandem ~800 kg; cluster

Wreckage of a downed cruise missile in a field: the body and a wing — Remains of Kalibr and Kh-101 cruise missiles shot down by the Air Force on 9 March 2023. Photo: Ukrainian Air Force Command, CC BY 4.0.

More on the Kh-101 on its own page. Both missiles are subsonic and fly low, so on the Alarm Maps map they are one type — "Cruise missile" ^[1] ^[14].

Kalibr specifications

Type	subsonic cruise missile with a turbojet engine
Other names	3M-14, Russian «Калибр»; NATO reporting name SS-N-30A; export version — Club
Carriers	Buyan-M and Karakurt small missile ships, Admiral Grigorovich-class frigates, Kilo-class submarines ^[3]
Speed	650–860 km/h, ~800 km/h for most of the route ^[2]
Altitude	50–150 m over land, up to 50 m over the sea ^[1]
Range	1,500–2,500 km ^[1]
Warhead	~450 kg high-explosive fragmentation; a cluster warhead was found for the first time in spring 2026 ^[9]
Guidance	inertial with satellite correction, route through waypoints
First use against Ukraine	24 February 2022

Can the Kalibr be shot down?

Yes, and most are. They are intercepted by surface-to-air missile systems, fighters (in May 2026 a Su-27 pilot described downing his first Kalibr with an air-to-air missile ^[13]) and even MANPADS. On 14 March 2026 all 25 Kalibrs were shot down, on 12 September 6 of 8 ^[11] ^[12]. According to the Air Force, 12 Kalibrs were destroyed in September 2026 ^[10].

What the Kalibr looks like on the map

A red marker with straight wings — "Cruise missile" (the map uses it for both the Kalibr and the Kh-101). Next to it, how many minutes are left; the dashed line shows the course. Open the map · all threat types · Kh-101 · Banderol · Kinzhal

Sources

Our figure — the 650 km/h the map uses for cruise missiles — comes from the Alarm Maps map; how we compute it is described on the Sources page.

Updated 10 October 2026.