Russia spent two-thirds of its annual production of "Zircons" over 19 days in July

In the first 19 days of July 2026 Russian forces used against Ukraine 107 ballistic missiles of various types and 20 missiles 3M22 “Zircon”. The number of ballistic missiles used already exceeds the estimated total monthly production volume in Russia, and the expended “Zircons” make up two thirds of the planned annual production of these missiles.

This was reported by “Militarnyi” based on an analysis of reports from the Air Forces of Ukraine and regional air commands.

The count includes missiles used during the massed attack on the night of 19 July. For comparison, during the whole of June 2026 the occupiers launched 102 ballistic missiles “Iskander-M”/S-400, two Kh-47M2 “Kinzhal” missiles and 15 “Zircon” missiles.

According to estimates by the Main Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, Russian industry manufactures about 60 9M723 missiles per month for the Iskander-M system and roughly 40 RM-48U missiles that are launched from S-400 systems. Altogether this is about 100 ballistic missiles per month. Thus, in the incomplete month of July Russia has already used more such missiles than it can produce in a month.

The situation is even more telling with 3M22 “Zircon” missiles. In 2026 Russia plans to produce only 30 units, yet in the first 19 days of July it has already used 20, i.e. two thirds of the annual production plan.

Despite these rates, the aggressor state still has significant accumulated stocks. According to the GUR estimate, before the latest attack Russia had more than 100 “Iskander-M” missiles, over 400 RM-48U missiles for the S-400 and more than 120 “Zircons”. Since December 2025 the occupiers maintained an “Iskander-M” stock at about 200 units, but the current intensity of strikes is gradually reducing it.

Such expenditure of accumulated reserves may indicate an attempt by the Kremlin to take advantage of the limited number of interceptors in the Defense Forces of Ukraine. Massed strikes with different types of missiles are intended to overload Ukrainian air and missile defence and to inflict maximum damage on civilian and critical infrastructure. At the same time, Russian industry cannot fully replenish the expended stocks.

Some researchers also question the common classification of the “Zircon” as a hypersonic cruise missile. According to an analysis by missile-technology specialist Fabian Gintz, it likely travels on a quasi-ballistic trajectory. Nevertheless, its high speed and flight characteristics still make it a difficult target for missile-defence systems.

Earlier we wrote:

• Air defence neutralised 132 enemy targets: in Kyiv the missile’s warhead fell near a building
• Ukraine and Germany signed a missile-defence deal to intercept Russian ballistic missiles
• Almost two days of terror: Russia launched 1,567 drones and 56 missiles at Ukraine
• Ukrainian air defence on a “starvation diet”: Ihnat reported a shortage of missiles for Patriot, NASAMS and IRIS-T
• Ballistics not stopped: Russia struck Ukraine with missiles and hundreds of drones