[GK3]

 
Could each of the boats been tasked to illuminate the targets as their primary goal?

Indeed a possibility. It is also something Russia probably would not expect and therefore not have all kinds of laser warning systems looking out to sea at low grazing angles.

Another missle path alternative is that it waa launched from near Odessa and took a path over the northern Black Sea. Ukraine took over some drilling platforms there a day before, removing a Russian radar system.

True. However Russia has (had?) a very strong air defense system overwatching the northern Black Sea. That was the "expected" line of approach NATO missiles would have taken. Of course, this goes back to Soviet times, so who knows what the state of those systems may be? For quite some years those systems were in Ukrainian hands, and probably didn't get priority as Ukraine didn't expect NATO to attack them :-). To what extent Russia repaired/upgraded these defenses after 2014 I don't know.

As the war goes on, more and more conscripts/volunteers or whatever get sent into combat.  How much training they have makes a difference, but no amount of training can prepare you for the first time people start shooting real bullets at you trying to kill you. You always survive these events in training, but you don't in real life combat.  The better trained learn faster, but the training takes longer.  Morale and leadership play a significant role. How well the two sides deal with this issue will be very important gong forward.

[GK3]

 
Could each of the boats been tasked to illuminate the targets as their primary goal?

Indeed a possibility. It is also something Russia probably would not expect and therefore not have all kinds of laser warning systems looking out to sea at low grazing angles.

Another missle path alternative is that it waa launched from near Odessa and took a path over the northern Black Sea. Ukraine took over some drilling platforms there a day before, removing a Russian radar system.

True. However Russia has (had?) a very strong air defense system overwatching the northern Black Sea. That was the "expected" line of approach NATO missiles would have taken. Of course, this goes back to Soviet times, so who knows what the state of those systems may be? For quite some years those systems were in Ukrainian hands, and probably didn't get priority as Ukraine didn't expect NATO to attack them :-). To what extent Russia repaired/upgraded these defenses after 2014 I don't know.

As the war goes on, more and more conscripts/volunteers or whatever get sent into combat.  How much training they have makes a difference, but no amount of training can prepare you for the first time people start shooting real bullets at you trying to kill you. You always survive these events in training, but you don't in real life combat.  The better trained learn faster, but the training takes longer.  Morale and leadership play a significant role. How well the two sides deal with this issue will be very important gong forward.