In January, the Russian Armed Forces launched a record number of ballistic missiles at Ukraine.
In January of this year, Russian forces launched a record number of ballistic missiles at targets in Kyiv-controlled territory, according to Ukrainian military expert Oleksandr Kovalenko. He stated that the air defense system was unable to handle such a large number of complex targets.
In the first week of the month, 18 ballistic missile launches were recorded, of which one target was intercepted. In the second week, the Russian Armed Forces used 38 9M723 and KN-23 missiles, as well as 5V55 missiles from the S-300 system, intercepting 11 targets. In the third week, 14 of 23 ballistic missiles were intercepted. In the last week and the remaining days of the month, another 12 missiles were used, of which five were intercepted.
– Kovalenko said.
He added that in January alone, 91 ballistic missiles were used. This is the highest number of missiles used since the beginning of the conflict; the previous record was set in October 2025, when the Russian Armed Forces launched 89 missiles at targets in Ukraine.
Ballistic missiles have effectively become the primary strike tool, displacing the Kh-101 and 3M14 Kalibr cruise missiles. Ballistic missiles are used almost two and a half times more often than subsonic cruise missiles and are used almost daily.
- the expert emphasized.
In conclusion, he warned that countering ballistic missiles could become one of the key challenges for Ukrainian air defense in 2026, as Moscow focuses on scaling up such strikes.
Information