The Ukrainian president announced on Tuesday the successful test of a first Ukrainian-made ballistic missile, a few days after welcoming the appearance on the front lines of a long-range missile drone, also made in Ukraine.
Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Tuesday the successful test of a first Ukrainian-made ballistic missile, a few days after welcoming the appearance on the front lines of a long-range missile drone.
“The first Ukrainian ballistic missile has been successfully tested. I congratulate our defense industry for this,” the Ukrainian president said at a press conference in kyiv, while refusing to “give more details” on this new weapon.
At the Independence Ukraine 2024 forum in kyiv, Volodymyr Zelensky admitted that “it may be too early to talk about it, but I want to share it with you,” reports the Ukrainian daily Kyiv Independent.
No further details have been given about this Ukrainian missile, neither its power, nor its range, and even less its availability. But Ukraine’s goal is clear. It is to attack targets on Russian territory without engaging the responsibility of the West.
Ukrainian rocket-launching drone
kyiv already has long-range missiles that have been supplied by its allies. It has the American ATACMS, the British Storm Shadow and the French SCALP/T. But their use is limited by Western restrictions on deep strikes on Russian territory.
The Ukrainian arms industry is therefore working hard to produce weapons in the country. A few days ago, Defense Minister Rustem Umerov revealed that Ukraine is preparing a response to Russian airstrikes with weapons of its own production.
Among this weaponry is the Palianytsia, a missile-launching drone designed to destroy aircraft on military airfields in Russia. This long-range missile was reportedly developed in eighteen months and several dozen Russian military air bases are said to be within its range.
The name of this drone is a snub to Russian soldiers. Palianytsia is the name of a traditional Ukrainian bread that Russians have difficulty pronouncing. Since the beginning of the Russian invasion, Ukrainian intelligence services have been using this word to identify Russian soldiers or saboteurs infiltrated into Ukrainian territory.
In videos posted on social media, the Palianytsia can be seen powered by a turbojet engine. The machine looks like a missile equipped with a pair of wings. According to Rustem Umerov, this drone has already been used to strike in Russia without specifying when or where.
Produce one million drones by 2024
These new weapons are a turning point for the Ukrainian defense industry, which has developed with Western funding or partnerships. At the end of 2023, Volodymyr Zelensky had assured that his country would produce one million drones in 2024 to meet the needs of the army, these machines having established themselves as essential on the battlefield.
On the night of Monday to Tuesday, Ukraine suffered new Russian strikes that left at least four dead. For its part, kyiv claimed new advances in the Russian border region of Kursk, three weeks after the start of an incursion that caught Moscow off guard.
“Unfortunately, despite the effective work of our air defense, four people were killed and 16 injured,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Telegram on Tuesday about the Russian strikes.
Ukraine says it has shot down 60 Shahed suicide drones and 5 missiles of different types out of 91 devices fired by the Russian army. “Crimes against humanity cannot be committed with impunity,” the Ukrainian president added, accusing Moscow of targeting “civilians and infrastructure.”
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