Home / War and Conflict / Russia Drains Ukraine's Defenses with Training Missiles
Russia Drains Ukraine's Defenses with Training Missiles
18 Sep
Summary
- Russia is using repurposed training missiles to escalate its air war.
- These missiles make up over half of Russia's recent ballistic firings.
- Ukraine's Patriot interceptor stocks are critically depleted.
Russia has intensified its aerial assault on Ukraine by deploying repurposed training missiles (RM48Us) in record numbers. These weapons, originally designed for target practice, now constitute over half of the ballistic and hypersonic missiles fired by Russia, according to Ukrainian data. This surge in RM48U usage, previously unreported, enables Moscow to preserve its more advanced Iskander and other precision strike missiles.
The escalating RM48U attacks are occurring at a critical time for Ukraine, which has nearly exhausted its supply of U.S.-made Patriot interceptors. The limited availability of these interceptors, crucial for downing Russian ballistic missiles, leaves Ukraine highly exposed. Russia denies intentionally targeting civilians, claiming its strikes are aimed at military infrastructure.
These less accurate RM48Us, capable of deviating significantly from their targets, have been linked to several strikes causing civilian casualties, including an incident at a suburban Kyiv railway platform in August. Russia's strategy appears to be depleting Ukraine's remaining interceptor stocks while reserving its more capable missiles for potential future campaigns.
