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  • ✇Euromaidan Press
  • Only three of eight Iskander-K missiles were shot down — but why did most slip through Kyiv’s air defenses?
    Only three out of eight Russian Iskander-K cruise missiles launched at Ukraine on the night of 31 July were shot down. This raised questions about why Ukraine’s air defense, usually effective against Kalibr and Kh-101 missiles, failed to destroy most of them, Defense Express reports. The attack killed 31 civilians in Kyiv, including five children. One of them was only two years old. Despite threat of sanctions from US President Donald Trump, Moscow has no intention of stopping the war. Russia wi
     
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✇Euromaidan Press

Only three of eight Iskander-K missiles were shot down — but why did most slip through Kyiv’s air defenses?

Par :Olena Mukhina
1 août 2025 à 12:59

Russian missiles Iskander

Only three out of eight Russian Iskander-K cruise missiles launched at Ukraine on the night of 31 July were shot down. This raised questions about why Ukraine’s air defense, usually effective against Kalibr and Kh-101 missiles, failed to destroy most of them, Defense Express reports.

The attack killed 31 civilians in Kyiv, including five children. One of them was only two years old. Despite threat of sanctions from US President Donald Trump, Moscow has no intention of stopping the war. Russia will pay any price for its aggression against Ukraine. 

Explosions in Kyiv and a major air raid alert

The key reason is the element of surprise, say the military experts from Defense Express.

“Today’s launches of ‘Iskander-K’ were carried out from Russia’s Kursk Oblasy, practically right at the border, so there was very little time to react and deploy countermeasures,” the analysis states.

The land-based Iskander launchers are harder to detect than ships launching Kalibr missiles or bombers carrying Kh-101s, since those require more flight time and are detected by intelligence before launch.

“He will risk everything in Ukraine”: Putin may be preparing for even harsher war in Ukraine after Trump’s ultimatum

What is known about these missiles? 

Iskander-K is a general term for cruise missiles launched from the Iskander tactical missile system. These include the 9M728 (R-500) with a range up to 500 km and the 9M729 with a range up to 1,500 km. Both have a 480 kg warhead and fly at speeds up to 900 km/h.

This year, Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Directorate announced Russia’s approximate missile production rates. Currently, Russia can produce about 300 cruise missiles per month, including 20-30 Iskander-K. 

You could close this page. Or you could join our community and help us produce more materials like this. We keep our reporting open and accessible to everyone because we believe in the power of free information. This is why our small, cost-effective team depends on the support of readers like you to bring deliver timely news, quality analysis, and on-the-ground reports about Russia's war against Ukraine and Ukraine's struggle to build a democratic society. Become a patron or see other ways to support. 
  • ✇Euromaidan Press
  • Ukrainian intelligence: Russia’s advanced ballistic missile arsenal shrinks by nearly 50% since May
    Russia’s domestic Iskander-M and Pyongyang-supplied KN-23 ballistic missile stockpile has dropped from 580 to 300 since May, Ukrainian intelligence told Liga. The report does not include other widely used types of Russian ballistic missiles, such as the S-300 and S-400 surface-to-air systems repurposed for ground attacks, or the Kinzhal, which is essentially an air-launched variant of the Iskander-M. This comes amid increasingly escalating Russian missile and drone attacks on Ukrainian cities
     
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✇Euromaidan Press

Ukrainian intelligence: Russia’s advanced ballistic missile arsenal shrinks by nearly 50% since May

Par :Yuri Zoria
13 juillet 2025 à 04:28

ukrainian intelligence russia’s advanced missile arsenal shrinks nearly 50% since russia's iskander-m its mobile launcher iskander domestic pyongyang-supplied kn-23 ballistic stockpile has dropped 580 300 told liga report does mention

Russia’s domestic Iskander-M and Pyongyang-supplied KN-23 ballistic missile stockpile has dropped from 580 to 300 since May, Ukrainian intelligence told Liga. The report does not include other widely used types of Russian ballistic missiles, such as the S-300 and S-400 surface-to-air systems repurposed for ground attacks, or the Kinzhal, which is essentially an air-launched variant of the Iskander-M.

This comes amid increasingly escalating Russian missile and drone attacks on Ukrainian cities. These daily assaults include hundreds of explosive long-range drones, often alongside a varying number of cruise and ballistic missiles.

Ukrainian intel: Russia loses nearly half its advanced ballistic arsenal

As of early July 2025, Russia possesses around 300 ballistic missiles of the Iskander-M type and their North Korean equivalents, the KN-23, Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence (HUR) told Liga in response to a request. The stockpile currently includes over 250 Russian-made Iskander-M missiles and about 50 KN-23s supplied by North Korea.

Ukrainian intelligence previously stated that in mid-May, Russia had approximately 580 ballistic missiles of this class. The current total confirms a nearly twofold drop in supply over the course of just six weeks.

Dozens of launchers remain deployed near Ukrainian border

According to HUR, over 60 tactical missile system launchers capable of firing these ballistic missiles are presently deployed close to Ukraine’s borders, indicating the continued threat of Iskander-M strikes.

In May, HUR had reported that Russia had stepped up its missile production. Compared to 2024, production volumes had increased from 40 to 60 missiles per month. 

Almost 90 ballistic missiles launched on Ukraine in two months

According to the Air Force of Ukraine data, during May and June, Russia used 88 ballistic missiles — a combination of Iskander-M and KN-23 — in attacks on Ukrainian towns and cities. Ukrainian air defense forces successfully intercepted and destroyed 23 of them.

In early June, Ukrainian forces eliminated three launchers in Bryansk oblast, from which Russian troops had been firing missiles at Ukraine. 

The Air Force’s figure does not account for the full 190-missile gap between HUR’s two estimates, suggesting that Russia may not have used all the missing Iskanders in strikes. The difference could also be explained by the destruction of launchers and several Russian ammunition depots across both Russia and the occupied territories. Alternatively, the Air Force may not have recorded all Iskander launches in its reports, or HUR’s previous assessment was wrong, and the agency may have revised its earlier estimate based on updated intelligence.

You could close this page. Or you could join our community and help us produce more materials like this. We keep our reporting open and accessible to everyone because we believe in the power of free information. This is why our small, cost-effective team depends on the support of readers like you to bring deliver timely news, quality analysis, and on-the-ground reports about Russia's war against Ukraine and Ukraine's struggle to build a democratic society. Become a patron or see other ways to support. 
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