Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov had previously vowed to unveil a “huge missile program” by the end of the year
Kiev lacks the funds and capacity to create its own ballistic missiles, the Wall Street Journal has reported, citing Ukrainian officials. Experts suggest that the country will likely remain dependent on the West for certain types of weapons for years to come.
Last month, Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov stated that the country would unveil a “huge missile program” by next year, aimed at developing Kiev’s own ballistic missiles.
Ukrainian officials also told the WSJ that this work was already underway and, while most of the details are secret, the program could be operational soon, with one ballistic missile test already having been conducted in August.
The country’s deputy minister for strategic industries, Anna Gvozdiar, also claimed that Kiev is currently working to develop “more than one ballistic missile,” according to the outlet.
However, Kiev is currently struggling with financing the program and producing the weapons at scale, Ukrainian officials told the outlet, noting that the country would have to rely on the West for weapon deliveries for the foreseeable future.
Aleksandr Kamyshin, an adviser to Vladimir Zelensky on strategic affairs, explained to the WSJ that Ukraine “simply doesn’t have enough money” for the initiative, particularly as Kiev’s Western backers have offered little or no support for the missile program, with Washington instead urging the country to focus on developing long-range drones as a more cost-efficient approach.
Ukrainian MP Egor Chernev, who serves as the deputy head of the parliamentary committee on national security, defense and intelligence, has also previously stated that Kiev was struggling to get all the necessary missile components.
Additionally, the WSJ noted that Kiev’s missile program was also being hampered by Ukraine’s depleted workforce, as well as continued Russian attacks on the country’s manufacturing infrastructure.
Nevertheless, Chernev insisted that the ballistic program was close to operation and told Ukrainian media that “there will soon be concrete results that not only Ukraine, but also the Russian Federation will see.”
The WSJ report comes after Kiev used US-made ATACMS and British Storm Shadow long-range missiles to carry out attacks on Russia’s Kursk and Bryansk regions. In response, Moscow fired its new Oreshnik hypersonic ballistic missile at a military-industrial facility in the Ukrainian city of Dnepropetrovsk.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has since stated that the Oreshnik will soon be mass produced and incorporated into Russia’s arsenal. He has also warned that further Ukrainian attacks with Western weapons would result in more retaliatory strikes.
