Russia plans to produce nearly 2,500 high-precision missiles in 2025, military intelligence says
Russia is expected to manufacture close to 2,500 high-precision missiles in 2025, spanning cruise, ballistic, and hypersonic classes, Vadym Skibitskyi, the deputy head of Ukraine's military intelligence agency, said in an interview with Ukrinform published on Sept. 7.
Moscow has ramped up defense production and aerial strikes in recent months, despite U.S.-led efforts to negotiate an end to hostilities.
In addition to missile production, Russia plans to manufacture a range of modern military hardware by the end of 2025, including 57 combat aircraft like the Su-57, Su-35, Su-34, and Su-30.
Nearly 250 T-90M tanks, 1,100 BTR-3 and BTR-82A armored personnel carriers, and 365 artillery systems are also on the list, according to Skibitskyi.
Skibitskyi said that Russia is ramping up both the development of new weapons and the modernization of its existing arsenal.
Russian drone production, including models such as the Geran (an adaptation of the Iranian-designed Shahed drone), the Garpiya, and various first-person view (FPV) drones, is also increasing significantly, he added.
Russia is concentrating its missile development efforts on three areas: extending range, improving accuracy, and enhancing warhead effectiveness, Skybitskyi said.
These efforts are not solely aimed at the ongoing war in Ukraine but are also part of longer-term preparations for a potential conflict with NATO by 2030.
"Striking targets in Ukraine requires one combat radius, but preparing for war with NATO by 2030 requires a much greater range," Skibitskyi said. "This is exactly what Russia is building into its weapons programs."
Weaning off its dependence on Western aid, Ukraine is also ramping up its own defense production. In 2025, Ukraine is expected to manufacture 3,000 missiles and 30,000 long-range drones, then-Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said on Jan. 3.
Meanwhile, the scale of Russian attacks continues to escalate.
Since the beginning of September, Russia has launched more than 1,300 strike drones, nearly 900 guided aerial bombs, and up to 50 missiles against Ukrainian territory, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sept. 6.
Russia carried out its largest drone attack since the start of the full-scale invasion against Ukraine, launching a record 810 drones overnight on Sept. 7.
