Marta Gichko09:19, 07.06.25

The ballistic missile program was separated from others. One of the deputy defense ministers became its curator, the expert added.

In mid-May , a Ukrainian ballistic missile was tested extremely successfully . It traveled almost 300 km and destroyed a Russian command post.

Military expert and director of the Center for Army, Conversion and Disarmament Studies Valentin Badrak stated this on air at Espreso .

“In May 2022, a new missile program was launched, but the Ministry of Strategic Industry implemented it rather poorly, despite the fact that these were priorities. In the end, the first successful tests took place in July. After which President Zelensky started talking specifically about a ballistic missile – the possibility of creating it and bringing it to completion,” he said.

The expert noted that Ukraine has been properly administering this missile program since July 2024. The relevant Deputy Minister of Defense, General Anatoly Klochko, is responsible for the implementation of the project. The Main Directorate for Missile Program Support has been established in the Ministry of Defense.

“I think that the curator was chosen well and that the program is separated from other programs, that each missile system and missile nomenclature has its own curator and its own leader – this is positive. As far as I know, tests took place in mid-May, which are considered extremely successful – the missile covered almost 300 km and destroyed a Russian command post, and it is very important that this was a combat use,” Badrak added.

He noted that after this the missile is launched into series production. The work of the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Strategic Industry is synchronized. The expert noted that before this the Ministry of Strategic Industry had seriously slowed down.

“I don’t know how many missiles we can expect in a month, in a year – I think that they will be built up very powerfully. The warhead of this missile is over 400 kg and this is a very powerful arsenal. For comparison – the new American ballistic missile is only 91 kg. It is clear that this will be a powerful weapon for us. I hope that we will move forward, the main thing is to scale quickly and very logically,” Badrak concluded.

(c)UNIAN 2025