Russian forces have recently begun using more ballistic missiles than cruise missiles in their attacks on Ukraine. Over the past week alone, Russia launched about 50 ballistic missiles, according to Yurii Ihnat, head of communications for the Ukrainian Air Force Command.
"The missile fragments we recover, marked as having been manufactured just three weeks, one month, or two months ago, show that the missiles were launched almost immediately after leaving the factory. This indicates that they are not able to build up large stockpiles and are experiencing production difficulties. At the same time, they continue to use a large number of missiles. You can see that the share of ballistic missiles has increased significantly. Previously, they launched far more cruise missiles than ballistic ones. Last week alone, we saw more than 50 missiles fired on ballistic trajectories," Ihnat said.
According to him, these include Iskander-M ballistic missiles, S-400 surface-to-air missiles used in a ground-attack role, and Zircon hypersonic missiles.
Ihnat added that Russia is also beginning to face mounting difficulties because Ukraine's Defense Forces are conducting long-range strikes not only against oil refineries but also against facilities with unique technologies that manufacture missile components.
Commenting on recent attack patterns, Ihnat said Russia cannot radically change its tactics every day but noted a growing number of missile strikes carried out during daylight hours.
"The enemy wants to achieve surprise, leaving our Defense Forces with less time to prepare. The main change is the time of day. People have become accustomed to ballistic missiles being launched at night, usually between 2 a.m. and 4 a.m. By striking at 9 a.m. or noon instead, the enemy is trying to achieve its objectives through the element of surprise. Otherwise, its tactics remain unchanged. As you can see, Russia continues to attack Ukraine with Shahed drones every day and every night," he said.
