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Jul 16, 2025  |  
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Yuri Zoria


Ukrainian intelligence: Russia’s advanced ballistic missile arsenal shrinks by nearly 50% since May

The drastic depletion includes hundreds of Iskander-M and North Korean-supplied KN-23 missiles.
ukrainian intelligence russia’s advanced missile arsenal shrinks nearly 50% since russia's iskander-m its mobile launcher iskander domestic pyongyang-supplied kn-23 ballistic stockpile has dropped 580 300 told liga report does mention
Russia’s Iskander-M missile on its mobile launcher. Source: Wikimedia Commons
Ukrainian intelligence: Russia’s advanced ballistic missile arsenal shrinks by nearly 50% since May

Russia’s domestic Iskander-M and Pyongyang-supplied KN-23 ballistic missile stockpile has dropped from 580 to 300 since May, Ukrainian intelligence told Liga. The report does not include other widely used types of Russian ballistic missiles, such as the S-300 and S-400 surface-to-air systems repurposed for ground attacks, or the Kinzhal, which is essentially an air-launched variant of the Iskander-M.

This comes amid increasingly escalating Russian missile and drone attacks on Ukrainian cities. These daily assaults include hundreds of explosive long-range drones, often alongside a varying number of cruise and ballistic missiles.

Ukrainian intel: Russia loses nearly half its advanced ballistic arsenal

As of early July 2025, Russia possesses around 300 ballistic missiles of the Iskander-M type and their North Korean equivalents, the KN-23, Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence (HUR) told Liga in response to a request. The stockpile currently includes over 250 Russian-made Iskander-M missiles and about 50 KN-23s supplied by North Korea.

Ukrainian intelligence previously stated that in mid-May, Russia had approximately 580 ballistic missiles of this class. The current total confirms a nearly twofold drop in supply over the course of just six weeks.

Dozens of launchers remain deployed near Ukrainian border

According to HUR, over 60 tactical missile system launchers capable of firing these ballistic missiles are presently deployed close to Ukraine’s borders, indicating the continued threat of Iskander-M strikes.

In May, HUR had reported that Russia had stepped up its missile production. Compared to 2024, production volumes had increased from 40 to 60 missiles per month. 

Almost 90 ballistic missiles launched on Ukraine in two months

According to the Air Force of Ukraine data, during May and June, Russia used 88 ballistic missiles — a combination of Iskander-M and KN-23 — in attacks on Ukrainian towns and cities. Ukrainian air defense forces successfully intercepted and destroyed 23 of them.

In early June, Ukrainian forces eliminated three launchers in Bryansk oblast, from which Russian troops had been firing missiles at Ukraine. 

The Air Force’s figure does not account for the full 190-missile gap between HUR’s two estimates, suggesting that Russia may not have used all the missing Iskanders in strikes. The difference could also be explained by the destruction of launchers and several Russian ammunition depots across both Russia and the occupied territories. Alternatively, the Air Force may not have recorded all Iskander launches in its reports, or HUR’s previous assessment was wrong, and the agency may have revised its earlier estimate based on updated intelligence.