Zelenskyy: Russia could produce up to 1,300 ballistic missiles a year, currently holds around 600
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia's industry could theoretically produce up to 1,300 ballistic missiles annually, though it currently has around 600–630 in stock. He also said Ukraine is working to disrupt Russian missile production and planned mass strikes.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told journalists that Russia's defence industry has the theoretical capacity to produce up to 1,300 ballistic missiles per year, but currently holds an arsenal of around 600–630 such missiles, according to Ukrinform.
Zelenskyy said Russia is aiming for a production rate of roughly 100 ballistic missiles per month, a level it has not yet reached. He added that Ukraine has a fairly clear picture of the volumes Russia intends to reach by the end of winter.
Countering missile production and strikes
The president said Ukraine's defence forces are working to weaken the capabilities of Russia's military industry, including by striking military facilities connected to missile production.
He noted that Ukrainian air defence has become more effective at intercepting Russian cruise missiles, aided by combat aviation and the IRIS-T and Hawk systems, though countering ballistic missiles remains a greater challenge.
Zelenskyy said Ukraine is also conducting targeted operations to disrupt Russian preparations for mass missile attacks, pointing to a recent instance in which Russia appeared to plan a strike but did not carry it out — which he said was not a coincidence but a result of Ukrainian efforts to prevent such attacks.
He further stated that Ukraine's Armed Forces recently struck a Russian Iskander missile system near the Ukrainian border, without specifying the date or exact location.
