The Independent: Ukraine expands domestic missile production

Ukraine is rapidly expanding its domestic missile and drone production in a strategic push to counter Russia’s relentless aerial bombardment, with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy setting an ambitious target of producing 3,000 cruise and drone missiles in 2025.

In recent weeks, Russia has intensified its mass aerial assaults on Ukrainian cities including Kyiv, Kharkiv, Dnipro, Odesa, Zaporizhzhia, Ivano-Frankivsk, and Pavlohrad. In response, Ukraine has prioritised building its own missile capabilities to match the destructive power and reach of Russia’s Shahed drones, cruise missiles, and ballistic rockets, The Independent reveals, Caliber.Az cites. 

Despite limitations in payload size, Ukrainian-made drones have demonstrated their capacity to strike targets more than 1,000 kilometers inside Russian territory. The country's arsenal includes missile systems named “Neptune,” “Palyanytsia,” “Peklo,” and “Ruta.” According to Ukrainian officials, missile production increased eightfold between 2023 and 2024, with further growth planned this year.

Among Ukraine’s most notable developments is the R-360 Neptune cruise missile, now reportedly modified for improved range. Although it carries a 150kg warhead—substantially smaller than the one-ton warheads used by Russia—the missile represents a critical step in Ukraine’s efforts to bolster its strike capabilities.

Ukrainian engineers are also developing the “Bars” (Leopard) system, a hybrid long-range drone and cruise missile with a turbojet engine. It is believed to have a range of 700–800km and carry a warhead of 50–100kg. The missile was first publicly referenced by Minister for Strategic Industries Herman Smetanin at a weapons exhibition in April. However, its limited payload raises questions about its effectiveness in matching Russian firepower.

Zelenskyy has also referenced the successful test of an engine for a homemade ballistic missile. Military analysts speculate it may be related to the Sapsan Operational-Tactical Missile System—also known as Hrim or Hrim-2—which dates back to the early 2000s but saw renewed focus following Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014.

A source in Ukraine’s defenсe industry, speaking anonymously, told The Independent, “Everyone, even senior officials, are forbidden to talk about this subject. If you do, you’ll probably be arrested. The only person allowed to reveal anything is President Zelenskyн.”

Smetanin now leads the country’s push to expand weapons manufacturing capacity. Yuri Sak, an adviser to the Ministry of Strategic Industries, emphasiыed how critical the effort became after Washington paused military aid during the fall and winter of 2023–2024.

“We realised that we had to start moving towards becoming self-sufficient and, as a result, our ministry was tasked with pretty much resuscitating Ukraine’s defence industry. We began to make contingency plans, which we have in place now,” said Sak.

“Despite the war, despite the missile attacks, despite the hundreds of Shahed drones that are launched against Ukraine pretty much every night, we were able to increase our defence industry output by 35 times during the last three years.”

Initially outgunned by Russia’s larger and better-stocked arsenal, Ukraine has relied heavily on Western-supplied weapons to level the battlefield. Yet the war has also driven innovation, particularly in the development of unmanned systems.

“The conflict in Ukraine has changed the nature of warfare,” Sak said, noting that Kyiv plans to produce five million drones this year. “We are also producing domestically the full spectrum of unmanned and robotic systems, land drones, naval drones, aerial drones, which include both reconnaissance drones and bombers, and drones with ranges of up to 2,000km.”

“These very successfully target Russian war machinery and their oil refineries and depots because all the profits from their oil trade go to finance their war and to prosecute war crimes.”

By Sabina Mammadli