Katyusha rocket name?

Question

Back when the Katyusha rockets were pounding Israel I assumed the name was an Arabic cognate to כתש, meaning pound, smash, a מכתש is a crater. But now I find out Katyusha was a Russian pet name for “Katarina”, and the rocket was named after her. Is there an Arabic cognate to כתש? Is it possible the rocket was given an Arabic or Hebrew name surreptitiously, while ostensibly naming it after the queen? Or was it simply coincidence that the name fit so well in hebrew?

Answer 1

Most probably it's a coincidence. Katyushas were first introduced during WW2 and as soon as Russians began using them, it became a turning point in the war. It was named "Katyusha", which is a variation of Katya - Russian for Kate.