Deputy Head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, Vadym Skibitskyi, said in his interview for RBC that Russia has launched its domestic production of Shakhed drones under the label of Geran-2. He said Russia plans to produce 1,300 Shakhed drones by the end of 2023, although Ukraine’s intelligence assesses they are currently incapable of producing so many UAVs of this type.
Still, Russians are actively using components from both foreign and domestic sources to increase the capacity of their production.
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At the same time, Ukraine is “working to ascertain the exact locations where these UAVs are being manufactured (as drone production involves multiple facilities) and to determine the actual production capacity,” Skibitskyi said.
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He also shared Ukrainian data about the current Russian stockpile of missiles that Russia has been firing on Ukraine. According to the numbers Skibitskyi shared, both the stockpile and the level of production remain relatively low, although the production rate has increased in comparison to 2022.
According to him, Russia has approximately 270 ballistic missiles like Iskander. The stockpile of Kalibr cruise missiles is estimated at around 140 missiles. Russians also have fewer Kh-101s now, with a total count of around 100 missiles.
“Russians can produce around 40 Kh-101 missiles per month, but we know that these plans are not being met, primarily due to a shortage of foreign components,” Skibitskyi added.
Regarding Kinzhals, he said Russians currently have about 75 of them. They can manufacture no more than six such missiles per month, at least according to their plan.
Furthermore, they are improving Kh-22 cruise missiles, modified versions of which have a new name, Kh-32. According to Ukraine’s data, Russians can produce no more than 10 of these upgraded missiles per month.
“The Defense Intelligence is closely monitoring everything related to the enemy’s missile stockpiles and their production. Understanding the potential of the Russian Federation’s armed forces for both current and future strikes is of utmost importance,” Skibitskyi said.
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