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Ukrainian military intelligence reveals new Russian cruise missile 'Filin'

• 2 min read
Ukrainian military intelligence reveals new Russian cruise missile 'Filin'
A 3-D model of the new Russian cruise missile "Filin" from the website of Ukraine's military intelligence agency HUR, from Oct. 22, 2026 (HUR/War&Sanctions)

Ukraine's military intelligence agency (HUR) announced details of a new Russian cruise missile called "Filin" and released a 3-D model of the missile alongside a list of components and electronics on its website on Oct. 22.

Russia began using the missile at the end of summer, HUR said, calling it a continuation of a Russian trend  to build "inexpensive air attack means with jet propulsion and ground-based launch."

The missile is 3.5 meters long with a wingspan of 3 meters, ablte to carry either 50 kilogram or 100 kilogram warheads, HUR said. It can fly both at ultra-low altitudes and up to 6 kilometers (about 3.7 miles) high, at a top speed of 800 kilometers per hour (about 497 miles per hour), across a distance of 1,200 kilometers (about 745 miles), according to the agency.

Some parts of the missile are apparently 3-D printed, HUR said, while the electronic component base of the onboard equipment is similar to other Russian missiles, but stands out for the increased share of Chinese components. Besides Chinese components, the agency also said the "Filin" included 35 U.S.-made components.

The onboard equipment is manufactured by PLAZ LLC, which is also involved in producing the Harpiya drone, HUR said, while the engine is the Russian-made R500, produced by Reynolds LLC.

Russia uses cruise and ballistic missiles to strike at Ukraine, and increasingly at the country's energy infrastructure. On Oct. 22, Russian ballistic missiles and cluster munitions struck transport and medical infrastructure in Kyiv in several waves overnight, killing at least one person and injuring 24 others.

"Three waves of ballistic strikes were launched by Russian 'humanists' on Kyiv since the evening," President Volodymyr Zelensky commented on the attack.

Russian forces launched a mass combined attack overnight with Iskander-M, S-400, Zircon, and Onyx missiles, as well as 210 drones of various types, including 110 jet-powered drones, the Air Force reported. Zelensky said Russia fired 21 missiles.

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Jonas Heins

Assistant Editor

Jonas Heins is Assistant Editor at the Kyiv Independent. Before joining, Jonas worked in several think tanks and research institutions across Central and Eastern Europe. He grew up in Germany and holds an MA in European Studies from the University of Padova. Currently he is pursuing an MA in Central and East European, Russian, and Eurasian Studies from the Universities of Glasgow and Tartu.

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