Is Russia burning through air defense missiles at an "unsustainable rate"?

3 days ago 10

Kyiv — Russia is moving debased connected a cardinal benignant of rocket interceptor, sources archer CBS News, which could beryllium helping Ukraine motorboat effectual strikes deeper wrong Russian territory arsenic analysts enactment a imaginable changing of the tide successful Kyiv's favour much than 4 and a fractional years into the war.

Moscow is experiencing a shortage of S-300 rocket interceptors, 3 Ukrainian officials acquainted with the country's quality estimates person told CBS News. The S-300, a surface-to-air rocket strategy designed by the Soviet Union during the 1960s and 70s, has traditionally served arsenic a captious constituent of Russia's aerial defenses against cruise and ballistic missiles.

Throughout its warfare connected Ukraine, Russia has turned to much precocious interceptors for that purpose, including the newer S-350, S-400 and Pantsir-S1 systems. But the S-300s person remained portion of Moscow's defenses against Ukrainian rocket and drone strikes.

In 2025, estimates from Ukraine's quality services reported by The New Voice of Ukraine suggested Russia had much than 400 interceptors connected manus for S-300PM and S-400 aerial defence systems.

Weapons On Display At Russia's International Military-Technical Forum "Army 2022"

The Ukrainian officials who spoke with CBS News this week did not specify however galore interceptors Russia is inactive believed to have, but they noted a "reduction successful Russia's stockpile of S-300 surface-to-air missiles," and suggested respective imaginable explanations.

While traditionally utilized exclusively for aerial defense, Russia's subject has precocious repurposed S-300s for violative strikes connected Ukraine, according to 2 officials. This has meant reconfiguring their trajectory truthful they enactment arsenic surface-to-surface missiles, supplementing different Russian weapons systems specified arsenic the Iskander-M and Kinzhal ballistic missiles.

Ukraine has besides depleted Russia's stocks by forcing it to effort and intercept regular volleys of newer, much susceptible drones, including immoderate equipped with pitchy engines that are faster and alert further than older models. That has led Russia to expend interceptors it mightiness different person reserved to support itself against Ukrainian missiles.

Ukraine has sought to exacerbate the shortages by straight targeting Russia's aerial defenses, analysts say.

"In the past fewer months, Ukraine has destroyed oregon targeted a ample fig of aerial defence systems successful the occupied areas — successful Crimea, successful Dniester, Luhansk, and elsewhere," said Rob Lee, a Russian subject adept astatine the Foreign Policy Research Institute. "Many of Russia's aerial defence missiles are being utilized up precise rapidly, astatine a benignant of unsustainable rate, due to the fact that Ukraine tin nutrient much heavy onslaught drones than Russia can, successful immoderate cases, nutrient aerial defence missiles."

Replenishing stocks whitethorn beryllium challenging for Russia. One Ukrainian authoritative told CBS News that Moscow lacks cardinal components to physique interceptor missiles — including guidance seekers and power modules. The authoritative said Russia, agelong nether dense sanctions, is encountering difficulties successful obtaining specified components from Western and Chinese manufacturers.

Russia warfare rages connected arsenic Ukraine generals assertion advances against Putin's troops 02:55

Ukrainian quality officials cautioned that Russia inactive has different capable, much modern aerial defence systems to support against strikes.

Moscow prioritizes "producing missiles for the much modern" aerial defence systems to antagonistic Ukrainian drone attacks, Oleh Chornyi, the acting caput of the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine (GUR), told CBS News.

And Ukraine has aerial defence problems of its own. Kyiv has sounded the alarm this twelvemonth connected its shortage of American PAC-3 interceptors, which are the astir reliable defence against Russia's ballistic missiles.

Fabian Hoffman astatine the Norwegian Institute for Defense Studies estimates that Russia whitethorn soon ramp up its accumulation of ballistic missiles to 600 oregon adjacent 800 per year. Lockheed Martin, which makes the PAC-3 interceptors utilized by Ukraine, lone delivered 620 worldwide past year.

Still, the quality investigation suggesting Russian shortages comes amid wider assessments of a shift successful favour of Kyiv connected the battlefield.

As Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met G7 leaders successful France this week, drones launched by his state struck an lipid refinery heavy wrong Russia.

"This time, the Moscow portion felt the scope of Ukraine's long-range capabilities," Zelenskyy said. "Russia indispensable beryllium forced to extremity its warfare against our people, and Ukraine's long-range weapons are 1 of the important components of specified pressure."

In: