Ukraine conducted successful ballistic missile test in mid-May — military expert

Badrak, the director of the Center for Army, Conversion and Disarmament Studies, spoke about this on Espreso TV.

 "In May 2022, a new missile program was launched. But the  [Ukrainian] Ministry of Strategic Industries didn’t manage it well, even though it was a top priority. The first successful tests finally took place in July. After that, President Zelensky specifically mentioned the ballistic missile and the potential to complete its development."

Badrak added that the program has been managed properly since July 2024.

"A specialized Deputy Minister of Defense, General Klochko, has been appointed to oversee the entire missile program to date. The Ministry of Defense has also established a dedicated Main Directorate for the Missile Program. I believe the choice of curator was a good one, and it’s important to note that this program is distinct from others — each missile system and type has its own curator and manager, which is a positive development.

As far as I know, tests were conducted in mid-May and were considered highly successful: the missile flew nearly 300 km and destroyed a Russian command post. Notably, this was a real combat use, which is extremely important," the expert added.

He emphasized that the missile will now enter serial production.

"Moreover, it is said that the work of the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Strategic Industries is now well coordinated under this program. Previously, the Ministry of Strategic Industries had been seriously lagging behind. I can't say exactly how many missiles will be produced monthly or annually, but I believe production will ramp up significantly. The missile's warhead weighs over 400 kg — a very powerful payload. For comparison, the new American ballistic missile has a warhead weighing only 91 kg. Clearly, this will be a formidable weapon for us. I hope we continue moving forward. The key is to scale up quickly and strategically," Badrak concluded.

• On August 27, 2024, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that Ukraine had successfully tested its first domestically produced ballistic missile.