Ukrainian Sapsan ballistic missile to enter serial production after successful combat test

He shared this information in an interview with LIGA.net.

According to Badrak, the first successful combat test of the Sapsan missile took place in mid-May 2025, during which Ukrainian forces struck a Russian military target at a range of nearly 300 kilometers.

“Frankly speaking, this success was made possible by the proper administration of the missile program,” he noted. “In July 2024, Anatolii Klochko, a deputy defense minister with relevant expertise, was appointed as program coordinator. As a result, the center of gravity shifted from the Ministry of Strategic Industries to the Ministry of Defense. This was a logical move, as the Defense Ministry is the official customer for the missile and oversees all specialized military-technical cooperation programs,” he explained.

The expert also noted that the missile program was separated from other defense developments. The Ministry of Defense established a dedicated main department to oversee the missile program, along with a specialized unit responsible for formulating policy on combat missiles for the Armed Forces.

Badrak emphasized that the Sapsan is a “powerful weapon,” highlighting that its warhead weighs 480 kilograms (for comparison, the new American PrSM ballistic missile for the HIMARS system carries a warhead of only 91 kilograms).

“This suggests that Ukraine is already on the path toward building a robust missile arsenal, which is crucial not only for the present battlefield needs but also for securing the future of the state and the nation,” he concluded.