Russia plans final test of new 800-kilometer range ballistic missile by end of 2026
Ukraine's military intelligence reports that Russia plans to conduct final tests of a new 800-kilometer range ballistic missile by the end of 2026, with potential test strikes targeting western Ukraine. This development comes amid intensified Russian aerial attacks aimed at triggering a socioeconomic crisis. Meanwhile, Ukraine faces critical air defense shortages, and its cyber specialists have breached the state-run Russian institute designing these missile systems.
New ballistic missile development
▪Major General Vadym Skibitskyi stated that Russia may attempt to strike targets in western Ukraine during the final tests of its new 800-kilometer range ballistic missile.
▪Major General Vadym Skibitskyi delivered the assessment regarding Russia's new ballistic missile plans during a meeting of the Ukraine-NATO Interparliamentary Council on September 8, 2026.
▪Russia plans to conduct final tests of a new, unspecified type of ballistic missile with a range of up to 800 kilometers by the end of 2026.
Intensified Russian aerial strikes
▪Russia is increasing the intensity of its missile and drone strikes against Ukraine to provoke a socioeconomic crisis, according to Major General Vadym Skibitskyi.
▪President Volodymyr Zelensky announced a two-level air alert system dividing threats into yellow for drone threats and red for incoming missiles and combined attacks.
Ukraine air defense shortages
▪Ukraine's air defenses remain critically stretched, leaving much of the country vulnerable to missiles, drones, and glide bombs.
▪Ukraine possesses a critically limited supply of interceptors to counter Russian ballistic missile attacks and relies entirely on international partners for these systems.
Civilian casualties mounting
▪Recent relentless Russian aerial strikes on Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities have caused mounting civilian casualties.
▪July 2026 was the deadliest month for Ukrainian civilians since the first month of the full-scale war.
HUR cyberattack on institute
▪The cyber specialists of Ukraine's military intelligence agency breached the networks of the state-run Moscow Institute of Thermal Technology on September 9, 2026.
▪Ukraine's military intelligence agency identified 2,648 employees of the Moscow Institute of Thermal Technology, including its chief executive Sergei Ponomaryov.
▪The Moscow Institute of Thermal Technology develops Russia's Yars, Topol-M, Bulava, Iskander-M, and Oreshnik missile systems, as well as military satellite launch systems.
Russian mobilization objectives
▪Russia intends to mobilize approximately 600,000 people during 2026 and 2027, with half of that number expected to be recruited by the end of 2026.
▪The Russian General Staff believes intensified mobilization is the only way Moscow can achieve its military objectives, which include the complete occupation of the Donbas region.
▪Russia lost approximately 43,000 military personnel in August 2026 while recruiting around 39,000 people into its armed forces.
Debatable claims
▪Western allies should tighten sanctions on foreign components for Russian missiles
▪Western allies should prioritize supplying air defense interceptors to Ukraine
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