Russia-Ukraine war: Zelenskyy says domestically made ballistic missiles to be ready soon; could hit Moscow in fall

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy recently confirmed reports that ballistic missiles under development by Ukrainian firm Fire Point could be ready for combat within two to three months and are likely to hit Russia during the fall.

Fire Point missiles to be ready within months?

He made the remarks during an interview with Ukraine's state-run telethon on 8 August, the Kyiv Independent reported. Last week, Fire Point told Reuters that its FP7 ballistic missile is being certified by the country's defence ministry, adding that the process is likely to be completed within a month. The company further said that its larger FP9 missile, which is capable of reaching Moscow, is expected to be ready by late fall.

The Ukrainian President said, "As for their large-scale use, I can’t say, because some things do not depend on Ukraine. It is the same with Russian ballistic missiles: they contain components from other countries. The same applies to our ballistic missiles — there are few such components, but some do come from other countries."

The report noted that despite sanctions, materials and hardware from the European Union are being used for the production of Russian military hardware. A version of Fire Point’s FP7 ballistic missile is being developed as an anti-ballistic missile system similar to the US Patriot, as part of the Freya programme involving nine European partner countries.

Fire Point's CEO Iryna Terekh told Reuters that the company is planning to carry out its first successful ballistic missile interception by mid-2027.

During the same interview, Zelenskyy also addressed the possibility of North Korean troops being deployed to Russian territory, as Moscow continues to intensify its military offensive against Ukraine.

North Korean troops likely to be deployed in Russia

In a post on X, Zelenskyy shared an update from his interview and wrote, "North Koreans appear on the territory of the Russian Federation from time to time. We see this, we know this. At first, we were talking about hundreds, then thousands, and now a decision has been made for 30,000 to 50,000 North Koreans to be deployed on the territory of Russia. They are studying this war. If we are talking about crises and escalation in another region – in the Pacific – which could pose a threat to other Asian countries, then North Korea will certainly gain experience in modern warfare under Russia."

He added, "We have already found North Korean missiles on the territory of Ukraine. Today, this is already an established fact. It is absolutely clear that North Korea will continue to build its experience in modern warfare, receive licenses from Russia, and receive all kinds of military tools from them. We understand this very clearly."

Russia launches overnight attacks

The development comes at a time when Russia has been ramping up its military offensive against Ukraine, with no end in sight for the roughly five-year-old conflict.

On 8 August, Moscow launched overnight attacks against Kyiv and the surrounding region, killing at least four people, including a three-year-old child, and injuring eight others, Zelenskyy and the local authorities reported.

The Ukrainian President said three people killed in the Brovary district of Kyiv Oblast on 8 August were a grandmother, grandfather and their three-year-old grandson. He added that the child's parents, 15-year-old brother and a neighbour who came to their aid were among four people injured in Pukhivka and taken to hospital.

According to the report, the rest of the injury count was from Kyiv, where the city's military administration noted that one person was killed and four others were wounded in the overnight attack.

(with agency inputs)