Ukraine will be capable of striking back at Russia with domestically produced ballistic missiles within a three-to-six month period, according to former Ukrainian defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov.
Until now, Ukraine's military operations have depended on inexpensive, long-range drones and cruise missiles in an effort to strike deep into Russian territory, but these weapons are not without their drawbacks given they can be easily shot down once spotted.
Russia's ballistic missile advantage
Russia, by contrast, has consistently deployed ballistic missiles against Ukraine, which has found them difficult to intercept - putting enormous pressure on the nation's air defences.
However, in significant developments for Ukraine, one of their biggest defence contractors, Fire Point, conducted a ballistic missile test in June which would enable Kyiv to counter Russia's formidable long-range strikes.
Fire Point's missile development
Iryna Terekh, chief technology officer at Fire Point, revealed the firm is developing its tactical short-range FP-7 ballistic missile, which will feature a 200-kilometre range and a 150kg warhead, allowing it to strike ground targets.
Fire Point is also working on the FP-9 ballistic missile, equipped with an 800kg warhead and a range of up to 855km - bringing Moscow comfortably within reach.
"Our FP-7 is already in a certification process. That requires a certain number of battle testing launches performed under a special procedure," Terekh stated last week. "We are going to do those launches, prove its effectiveness in real combat against our enemy and after that it will be ready for contracting."
Terekh maintains that should testing proceed successfully, "it is completely realistic" that the weapon will be operational "by this fall".
Political backing and timeline
Fedorov, who claims Ukraine's ballistic missile programme gained momentum during his tenure as defence minister, is confident the nation will possess the capability to fire a ballistic missile into Russia by the close of 2026.
Fire Point and Fedorov's projected timeframe received support from Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky last week, though he indicated that deploying the FP-7 will necessitate substantial international collaboration.
"As for mass application, I cannot say, because there are things that do not depend on Ukraine... there are some elements from other countries," Zelensky said.
The former defence minister observes, nevertheless, that while Ukraine is advancing rapidly in technological terms, Russia is doing likewise. "We need to defeat Russia in every technological cycle, and we have to make decisions 24/7," he said.
