Russia still has 50 Kinzhal missiles after pausing production, HUR claims
Russia still has about 50 Kh-47M2 Kinzhal air-launched ballistic missiles in its arsenal, despite pausing production of the munition in order to improve its accuracy, Ukraine's Military Intelligence (HUR) has claimed. The Kinzhal is a modified version of the Iskander ballistic missile, which is launched by specially modified MiG-31K interceptor jets. Over the course of the full-scale war they…
According to Ukraine's Military Intelligence, Russia still possesses approximately 50 Kh-47M2 Kinzhal air-launched ballistic missiles in its arsenal, despite suspending their production to enhance accuracy. The Kinzhal is a modified Iskander ballistic missile, launched by specially adapted MiG-31K interceptor jets. Since the onset of the full-scale war, these missiles have frequently targeted Ukraine.
As of July 2026, Russia reportedly possesses around 50 Kinzhal aeroballistic missiles, along with an additional 50 North Korean KN-23 series ballistic missiles (including KN-24 and KN-30).
Ukrainian outlet Militarnyi obtained leaked Russian documents through which it was revealed that each Kinzhal missile costs approximately $4.5 million to produce. The documents also indicated that Russia had planned to manufacture 144 units in 2025. However, the production of the Kinzhal has been halted since April 2026 due to its accuracy being negatively impacted by Ukrainian electronic warfare and GPS spoofing.
According to aviation expert Arkady Dotsenko, out of 59 launched Kinzhals during a Ukrainian electronic warfare operation, only one missile successfully landed, with the rest being suppressed.
HUR claims that Russia has redirected resources from Kinzhal production towards the production of other missile types. This strategic shift allows Russia to maintain necessary production rates and ensure the regular use of missiles against Ukraine.
Written by urgent.news from Kyiv Independent's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
Also reported by 1 other outlet
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