Ukraine Says Russia Is Expanding Missile and Drone Arsenal

Russia is unlikely to scale back its long-range strikes against Ukraine despite potentially using fewer missiles in individual attacks, according to Vadym Skibitsky, deputy head of Ukraine's military intelligence agency. He said the pace of future strikes would depend largely on Russia's production capacity.

Russian forces launched a record 377 ballistic and cruise missiles in July. Ukrainian air defenses intercepted 36 of the 126 ballistic missiles fired, or about 29%. According to Skibitsky, the use of ballistic missiles has accelerated in recent months.

He said Russia is producing its main missile types at 110% to 120% of planned monthly output. By 3 August, it had reportedly already met its annual production targets for Zircon hypersonic missiles and modernized Onyx missiles.

At the same time, Skibitsky said Russia suspended production of the Kinzhal and Kh-32 missiles in April, shifting resources toward weapons considered more effective.

Ukraine's military intelligence also expects Russia to produce around 11,000 attack drones in August, with an increasing focus on the faster Geran-4 and Geran-5 models.

According to Skibitsky, Russia is also building up its missile stockpiles in preparation for its fall and winter campaign.

(kyivpost, bak)