Russia exhausts two-thirds of Zircon missile’s annual production in July as Putin ramps up aerial attacks: Report

Russia has ramped up its aerial attacks on Ukraine to such an extent that it exhausted two-thirds of its annual supply of 3M22 Zircon hypersonic missiles in just 19 days, according to an analysis by the Ukrainian military website Militarnyi.

While Russia launched 20 Zircon missiles during July-19, its stated manufacturing target for the missile is 30 in 2026.

This means Russia exhausted two-thirds of its annual Zircon missile supply in just 19 days.

Overall, Russia used more missiles during the past 19 days than it produces in a month, according to the analysis.

During July-19, Russia attacked Ukraine with at least 127 missiles, comprising 107 ballistic missiles and 20 Zircons, whereas it manufactures around 100 missiles of all types each month.

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The analysis suggests that Russia is attacking Ukraine with as much firepower as possible to exploit gaps in its air defences. In recent weeks, while Ukraine has performed well against drone attacks, it has largely failed to stop incoming Russian ballistic and hypersonic missiles because it is severely short of the Patriot interceptors required to counter the most advanced Russian missiles. As a result, Kyiv has suffered extensive damage in recent weeks.

Analysts have also viewed the Russian barrages as a desperate response to Ukraine's months-long campaign of long-range drone strikes against Russian energy infrastructure, supply lines, arms manufacturing facilities, and other critical infrastructure. The impact has been such that Russia has experienced fuel shortages across the country and has, at times, had to ban exports of petrol and diesel.

Analysts say Russia has sought not only to punish Ukraine through missile strikes but also to pressure the population and undermine morale by inflicting the maximum possible damage on civilians.

But Ukraine has so far persisted with its long-range campaign and has shown no signs of slowing down.

Moreover, Ukraine has also made advances in the fields of missile technology and missile-defence systems. US President Donald Trump has said he would allow Ukraine to licence-manufacture Patriot systems, while Ukraine is also partnering with European firms to manufacture and collaborate on European missile programmes such as Storm Shadow.

In recent months, Russia has intensified its aerial campaign, particularly strikes on non-combatant sites, as it has consistently lost ground on the battlefield.