Russia Claims Major Blow to Ukraine’s Long-Range Missile Production Sites in Coordinated Strikes

Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) announced it had dealt a significant setback to Ukraine’s long-range missile capabilities following a joint operation with the Defence Ministry. The operation reportedly targeted facilities linked to the production and deployment of Ukraine’s Sapsan ballistic missile, also known as the Hrim-2, striking sites in both Sumy and Dnipropetrovsk regions.

According to the FSB, the targeted locations included missile production buildings, air defence systems, and infrastructure used to shield these facilities. Russian forces claim the strikes have eliminated Ukraine’s technical base for manufacturing the Hrim-2, a missile system believed to be capable of striking the Moscow region, central Russia, and Belarus.

The Defence Ministry said the attacks—carried out by air, sea, and land forces—were aimed at disrupting what it described as a Kyiv-led plan, coordinated with Western allies, to mass-produce long-range missiles for deep strikes into Russian territory. The ministry reported that Ukrainian design bureaus, rocket fuel storage sites, and missile assembly plants were destroyed during the July raids.

In addition to targeting the Hrim-2 program, the ministry claimed its forces destroyed four launchers of the U.S.-supplied Patriot air defence system and a U.S.-made target detection and guidance radar in the Dnipropetrovsk region.

The FSB further alleged that Ukraine’s development of the Sapsan missile involved assistance from unnamed Western European specialists, adding weight to Moscow’s long-standing accusations of direct Western involvement in Ukrainian defence projects.

While Kyiv has not issued a response to the latest Russian claims, Ukrainian media outlets previously reported that the Hrim-2 successfully completed combat testing in May, striking a Russian military target at a distance of nearly 300 kilometres. Military analysts believe the system’s maximum range could extend beyond 500 kilometres, posing a significant strategic challenge for Russia if deployed at scale.

The Sapsan/Hrim-2 program, often described as Ukraine’s answer to Russia’s Iskander-M missile, has been a high-priority defence project for Kyiv since its inception. If operational, it could give Ukraine the ability to target deep within Russian territory, disrupting supply lines and command infrastructure.

The latest Russian claims come amid an intensifying missile and drone campaign on both sides of the conflict, with Ukraine increasingly targeting military and industrial sites inside Russia, and Moscow responding with strikes aimed at crippling Ukraine’s defence industry.

As of now, independent verification of the extent of the damage to Ukraine’s missile program remains unavailable, but if Russia’s account proves accurate, it would mark one of the most significant blows to Ukraine’s long-range strike capabilities since the war began.