“We know little about Russia's missile arsenal”: Defense Express explains pace of Kinzhal production

He said this on the Espreso TV channel.

“Unfortunately, the Russians can continue to produce Kinzhal ballistic missiles. Because one of the important things that we don't take into account is that the Russians have made a significant step in import substitution to be independent of supplies bypassing sanctions. For example, they have started to produce their own electronics. The pace at which the Russians are striking at our energy infrastructure may indicate that we do not know everything about the Russian missile arsenal or their missile manufacturing capabilities,” Kyrychevskyi emphasized.

According to the military expert, to destroy the Kinzhal at any stage of the flight, Ukraine needs the American THAAD anti-ballistic missile defense system.

“As for the possibility or impossibility of shooting down Kinzhals, we can only speculate. To intercept such a missile, the window of opportunity arises when the flight speed drops to acceptable levels, and only in the last kilometers or last seconds of the flight to the target. In other words, to shoot down a missile near the target, a Patriot must be stationed there. Accordingly, a Kinzhal could be flying over Kyiv toward western Ukraine, and there is no way to shoot down a Kinzhal there yet. To destroy the Kinzhal at any stage of the flight, we need THAAD missile defense systems. One such battery costs $2 billion, but it is a justified expenditure,” Kyrychevskyi explained.

• The Russians have been stockpiling missiles for some time and then using them immediately. However, they still have some stockpiles.

• On the evening of April 29, Russia launched a missile attack on Odesa: 5 people and a dog were killed, and 32 others were wounded, including children. Former MP Serhiy Kivalov was also injured. On April 30, the city declared a day of mourning.