Ukraine is facing significant challenges in developing its own ballistic missiles, according to a report by the Wall Street Journal on Sunday, citing local officials and experts.
Despite recent promises by Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov to unveil a major missile program by the end of the year, the country lacks the necessary funding and infrastructure to produce the weapons on a large scale, and is likely to remain dependent on Western supplies for the foreseeable future, the outlet has claimed.
Last month, Umerov vowed that Kiev would roll out a “huge missile program” aimed at strengthening its military capabilities. While the details remain largely secret, officials say the process is already underway, with at least one test conducted in August.
Anna Gvozdiar, Ukraine’s deputy minister for strategic industries, confirmed that the country is working on multiple missile projects.
However, Ukrainian officials told the Wall Street Journal on Friday that the program is struggling due to a lack of financing and the country’s inability to produce missiles at scale.
Aleksandr Kamyshin, an adviser to Vladimir Zelensky on strategic affairs, explained that Ukraine “simply doesn’t have enough money” for the initiative. Western allies have shown little interest in directly supporting the missile program, with the US urging Kiev to focus on developing long-range drones instead, citing cost-effectiveness.
MP Egor Chernev, deputy head of the parliamentary committee on national security and defense, echoed the concerns, saying that the country is facing difficulties obtaining the necessary missile components.
The report also highlights that Ukraine’s missile development is hindered by a depleted workforce, due to mass emigration and ongoing conscription, and Russian attacks on manufacturing facilities.
Chernev insists that the missile program is close to operational, stating “there will soon be concrete results that not only Ukraine, but also the Russian Federation will see.”
The WSJ report follows Ukraine’s use of U.S.-made ATACMS and British Storm Shadow missiles to strike Russian targets in the Kursk and Bryansk regions. In response, Russia launched its newly developed Oreshnik hypersonic missile at a Ukrainian military facility in Dnepropetrovsk. Russian President Vladimir Putin has since confirmed plans to mass-produce the Oreshnik and warned that further Ukrainian use of Western-supplied weapons would result in more retaliatory strikes.