Shmyhal on Ukrainian ballistics: We are very close, but I can't say anything else

Ukraine is "very close" to getting a ballistic missile of its own production, says newly appointed Defense minister Denys Shmyhal, refusing to provide other details. He made the following statement in an interview with the Ukrainian service of the British BBC News.

The journalist noted that, as far as he knew, "significant funds" were allocated to the ballistic missile program, and asked when Ukrainians would see domestic ballistic missiles and their regular use against targets in Russia.

"The president has already announced that Ukraine will have its own ballistics. We are very close to this. That's basically all I can say publicly on this issue," Shmyhal replied.

For the first time, the Ukrainian ballistic missile system Sapsan was put into mass production in June in an article for LIGA.net said the military analyst Valentyn Badrak.

Later, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed that work is underway to launch the Sapsan into production. Since then, no other details about these weapons have been officially reported.

Ukraine needs ballistics because it less vulnerable to Russian air defense systems, than cruise missiles.

• Sapsan is a long-term construction project, which the Ministry of Defense promised to revive in 2022. According to Badrak, in mid-May 2025, was the first successful combat test of the Sapsan – Ukrainian defenders destroyed a Russian military facility at a distance of almost 300 kilometers. Prior to that, in August 2024, Zelenskyy said on the test of the first ballistic missile created.

• Badrak also stated that the Sapsan showed a speed of Mach 5.2 during tests in July 2024. To compare: this missile is faster than the US ATACMS and closer to the Russian Iskanders.

• The declared range of the Sapsan is up to 500 km. The distance from the Ukrainian border to Moscow is over 400 km. When asked whether this ballistic missile would reach the Russian capital, the head of the Zelenskyy's Office stated that "we will be able to surprise our enemies many more times".