Ukraine shows off self-produced missile arsenal, Kiev escapes NATO shadow

In a surprise move, Ukraine has made public its arsenal of domestically developed ballistic missiles in a bid to reduce its dependence on military aid from Western allies.

On June 6, Ukraine announced a major milestone in its defense capabilities, announcing that it had built up an arsenal of domestically produced ballistic missiles. This development, of course, could reshape the ongoing conflict with Russia. Photo: @TWZ.

The announcement, reportedly made by Ukraine's defense agencies, follows successful tests of a missile called the Hrim-2 capable of striking targets at long ranges, with mass production now underway. The achievement marks a major step forward for Ukraine, which has long relied on Western-supplied weapons to counter Russia. Photo: @Army Recognition.

This information was also reiterated in social media posts X, emphasizing Ukraine’s efforts to strengthen its arsenal, in the context of restrictions on using foreign missiles to strike deep into Russian territory. And as the war enters its fourth year, this new development could help strengthen Ukraine’s ability to deter Russian advances, and assert greater military -strategic autonomy. Photo: @Euromaidan Press.

The new milestone stems from Ukraine’s urgent need to reduce its dependence on Western military aid. Since the full-scale war with Russia began in February 2022, Ukraine has relied heavily on systems such as the US-made Army Tactical Missile System (ATACM) and the Anglo-French Storm Shadow/SCALP missiles for long-range strikes. Photo: @militarnyi.

The missile mentioned at the beginning of this article is the Hrim-2, also known as Sapsan in its export version, which is part of a project that draws on Ukraine’s expertise in Soviet-era missile technology. Developed by the Yuzhnoye Design Bureau and produced by Yuzhmash in Dnipro, the Hrim-2 is a short-range ballistic missile designed for precision strikes. Photo: @militarnyi.

The Hrim-2 has a range of about 280 to 500 km, depending on the configuration, and carries a warhead weighing up to 500 kg. The missile's guidance system can combine an inertial guidance system with GPS signal correction, allowing it to hit targets with extremely high accuracy. Photo: @Euromaidan Press.

The Hrim-2 mobile launcher is typically mounted on a wheeled chassis, allowing for rapid deployment and subsequent concealment, making the Hrim-2 ballistic missile a challenging target for enemy forces. The Hrim-2's design inherits technical elements derived from the Soviet R-12 and R-16 missiles, which were among the first missiles to carry nuclear warheads. Photo: @UNIAN.

Unlike previous versions, the Hrim-2 is designed for conventional warfare, providing Ukraine with a tool to attack Russian military infrastructure, command posts or supply lines at long range. Photo: @UNIAN.

The successful test of the Ukrainian-made Hrim-2 ballistic missile, first announced by Zelensky in August 2024, marked a major milestone. Oleksii Petrov, director of Spetstechnoexport, later confirmed that flight tests of the Hrim-2 ballistic missile had yielded positive results, with full-scale production planned for mid-2025. Photo: @Army Recognition.

The capabilities of the Hrim-2 ballistic missile place it in a certain class of competitive short-range ballistic missiles. By comparison, the Iskander-M missile, the mainstay of Russia’s arsenal, has a range of up to 500 km and carries a warhead of similar weight to the Hrim-2. However, the Iskander-M benefits from Russia’s larger production capacity, with estimates suggesting that Russia can produce dozens of these missiles per month. The US-made ATACMS missile, supplied to Ukraine, has a range of up to 300 km but is limited by availability and geopolitical constraints. Photo: @Euromaidan Press.

According to Ukrainian sources, the North Korean KN-23 missile, used by Russian forces in Ukraine, has a range of up to 800 km, but its accuracy is inconsistent. The advantage of the Hrim-2 lies in its domestic origin, which frees Ukraine from external restrictions and supply chain bottlenecks. The reported accuracy of the Hrim-2 can be within 50 meters of the target, making it a viable tool for attacking high-value assets such as Russian airports or logistics centers. Photo: @UNIAN.

Now the new ballistic missile inventory claims suggest Ukraine may have begun amassing Hrim-2 missiles, although the exact figure remains unknown. In 2024, Ukraine invested more than $4 billion in its defense sector, with plans to increase funding in 2025. “Today, according to various estimates, 30 to 40 percent of what our army uses on the front line is produced in Ukraine,” Oleksandr Kamyshin, a former Ukrainian defense official, said in April 2025. Photo: @UNIAN.

Ukraine’s ballistic missile program is not without its challenges, however. Russian airstrikes have repeatedly targeted defense facilities, including those in Dnipro. “The entire territory of Ukraine is under attack,” said Mykola Sunhurovskyi, an analyst at the Razumkov Center in Kyiv, highlighting the difficulty of protecting these critical production sites. Photo: @Army Recognition.

International reaction to Ukraine’s ballistic missile arsenal has been mixed. Western allies have welcomed Kyiv’s move toward self-sufficiency, but remain wary of escalation. The US and its allies have gradually eased restrictions on the provision of ATACMS and Storm Shadow missiles, but supplies of the systems remain limited. “ The Department of Defense continues to provide equipment to Ukraine from previously authorized assistance packages,” a Pentagon spokesman said in April 2025, but declined to comment on future deliveries. Photo: @militarnyi.

Meanwhile, Russia has condemned Ukraine’s missile development, with President Vladimir Putin announcing plans to mass-produce the Oreshnik, a hypersonic intermediate-range ballistic missile, in response. According to Russian sources, the Oreshnik, which was tested in Ukraine in November 2024, has a range of up to 4,988 km, far exceeding the capabilities of the Hrim-2, but its production is facing administrative and technological hurdles. Photo: @militarnyi.

In short, the timing of Ukraine’s announcement is notable, coming amid an escalation of Russian attacks. On June 6, Russian missile and drone strikes on Kharkiv injured 17 people, including two children, underscoring the urgency of Ukraine’s renewed efforts to bolster its defenses. Photo: @Army Recognition.

Source: https://khoahocdoisong.vn/ukraine-khoe-kho-ten-lua-tu-san-xuat-kiev-thoat-khoi-cai-bong-nato-post1546644.html