Ukraine could launch ballistic missiles in three months, former defense minister says

Ukraine may be able to launch its own ballistic missiles within the next three to six months, stated Mykhailo Fedorov, the country's recently dismissed defense minister. Fedorov, often credited with shaping Ukraine's war strategy, emphasized the critical need for Ukraine to "defeat Russia in every technological cycle" and operate with constant decision-making.

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We need to defeat Russia in every technological cycle, and we have to make decisions 24/7.

While acknowledging the difficulty in pinpointing an exact deployment date, Fedorov asserted that Ukraine has "no choice but to do it." This development follows testing of a ballistic missile model by Ukrainian defense company Fire Point, which began in June. However, Fire Point's interceptor missiles are not expected until 2027.

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We have no choice but to do it.

The push for domestic ballistic missile capability comes as Ukraine grapples with a severe shortage of interceptor missiles, particularly the US-supplied Patriot system. The Ukrainian Air Force recently failed to intercept any of the ballistic missiles Russia launched. President Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly appealed for more interceptors, stating Ukraine has only about 10% of what it needs. He suggested that if the US provided 10% of its Patriot missiles, Ukraine could destroy all Russian ballistic missiles.

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If the US sells us 10% of Patriot missiles, 'we will destroy all the Russians’ ballistic missiles.'

Discussions are ongoing with Lockheed Martin, the producer of Patriot missiles, but production would take at least a year even with licensing. Ukraine's reliance on long-range drones and cruise missiles for attacks on Russia highlights its current defensive limitations against Moscow's ballistic missile arsenal.

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I have 1%.