Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed on 9 December that Ukraine's Armed Forces have begun using domestically produced Sapsan ballistic missiles in combat operations, marking Ukraine's entry into an exclusive club of nations capable of producing and deploying their own ballistic weapons.
The announcement caps a rapid journey from first combat test to active deployment. In May 2025, the Sapsan struck a Russian military target nearly 300 km from the launch site. Now the weapon is hitting targets alongside Ukraine's expanding arsenal of cruise missiles and drones.
The reported 480-kg warhead is more than double the payload of US-supplied ATACMS, while its 5.2 Mach speed approaches Russia's Iskander missiles.
Fog of war favors Ukraine
Zelenskyy revealed a tactical advantage the new missiles provide: Russians often mistake Sapsan strikes for Neptune cruise missile attacks.
"There are many moments when our enemy believes that Neptunes were used. And let them keep thinking that," the president said, speaking to journalists.
He listed the full range of domestic missiles now in Ukraine's inventory: Neptune cruise missiles, "Long Neptune" extended-range variants, Palianytsia drone-missiles, Flamingo cruise missiles, and now the Sapsan. Quantities remain classified.
"I won't say how many because I don't want the enemy to know all the precedents and details," Zelenskyy said.
Why Ukraine's Sapsan ballistic missile changes the equation
Cruise missiles like the Neptune fly low and can be tracked by radar. Ballistic missiles follow an arcing trajectory, reaching targets at extreme speeds that leave air defenses minimal time to react. Military expert Andrii Kramarov told Kyiv 24 that Russian defenses are largely powerless against them.
"There's no way they can intercept it," Kramarov said. He identified Russian tactical aviation airfields and Iskander-M launchers as top priority targets.
Key Sapsan specifications compared to other systems:
- Range: approximately 300 km (confirmed combat test)
- Speed: 5.2 Mach — faster than US ATACMS (Mach 3), approaching Russia's Iskander (Mach 6)
- Warhead: 480 kg — more than double ATACMS payload (227 kg)
- Launcher: mobile 10-wheeled transporter erector launcher carrying two missiles
The Sapsan's emergence reflects Ukraine's push toward weapons independence as questions swirl around future Western military support. Ukraine currently produces 40-50 Neptune and 90 Flamingo missiles monthly, according to recent reports. Adding ballistic missiles to that mix gives Kyiv a domestic strike capability that doesn't depend on foreign permission.
A two-decade journey
Ukraine has been developing the Sapsan since 2009, according to defense expert Oleksandr Saienko, who told Euromaidan Press last year it was the only ballistic missile project Ukraine had worked on long enough to reach the final stage.
Defense Express analyst Ivan Kyrychevskyi told the Kyiv Independent the weapon's emergence is "a bold political statement — a big, fat middle finger to the Kremlin's claims that Ukraine must be demilitarized."
