Russia suspends Kinzhal missile production to prioritize more accurate weapons, says Ukrainian intelligence (uawire.org)

Russia has halted production of its Kinzhal air-launched ballistic missiles in order to ramp up output of other, more precise types of missiles, according to Ukraine’s military intelligence. Vadym Skibitsky, Deputy Chief of Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence (GUR), made the statement in an interview with RBC-Ukraine . Skibitsky explained that as Russia aims to increase its overall production of ballistic missiles, it has adopted a simplified technical control system on missile assembly lines, and workers now face “real consequences” for missing production targets. “There’s another reason for the increase in Russian ballistic missile production. They stopped producing Kinzhal missiles, so the rocket fuel previously used for Kinzhals has been redirected to other ballistic missiles. They have also suspended production and deployment of the Kh-32 (an upgraded version of the Kh-22), so resources and components meant for the Kinzhal and Kh-32 are now being allocated to other, more effective missile types,” Skibitsky said. Skibitsky noted that production of the Kinzhal was halted in April, partly because of the missile's lack of precision. “For an effective missile, deviation from the target shouldn’t exceed 5-7 meters, but with the Kinzhal, it can be 30 meters or more,” he added. Kinzhals are typically launched from MiG-31 aircraft, triggering air raid alerts across Ukraine whenever a takeoff is detected. However, the Ukrainian Air Force has not reported any Kinzhal launches in recent months. In February, Russia tried and failed to hit targets in Lviv with Kinzhal missiles.