The Russian military can currently simultaneously fire 77 ballistic missiles and plans to increase this number to 200, according to Robert “Magyar” Brovdi, the officer who leads Ukraine’s drone forces.
"Even if they only reach half of this amount, it will all come crashing down on us," he told the Associated Press news agency on Monday.
The warning points to one of Ukraine's most exposed vulnerabilities - the lack of interceptors for the US-made Patriot systems, the only weapon in Kiev's arsenal capable of shooting down ballistic missiles.
This shortage means that dozens of missiles launched during the massive barrage have already reached and hit their targets. And while there have been mixed signals from the US about a possible license for Patriot interceptor missiles, Ukrainian forces must look for other solutions.
Brovdi said the only way to reduce the number is to hit every facility involved in their production, the logic behind using Ukraine's log-measurement range goes deep into Russian territory.
Brovd's warning came amid Ukraine's campaign to cut off Russian control of Crimea and land lines of communication.
He said his units could hit seven times more targets on the peninsula if Western funding, already promised, arrived sooner.
As things stand, he equipped his forces to only 14% of what full capacity would require.
“It’s not that the production capacity of Ukrainian manufacturers does not allow us to produce the necessary quantities,” he said. “It’s the banal problem of early financing, which our partners share, but which is moving significantly slower than our plans.”
Since the offensive began in late June, Ukrainian forces have struck railway bridges, oil depots and energy infrastructure, cutting supply lines and destroying more than 300 Russian air defense assets – surface-to-air systems, radar stations and electronic warfare equipment – to clear the way for drones.
