Few, if any, Western officials have a clear idea of the state of Russia’s arsenal or know how many missiles remain in Russia’s inventory.
Russian authorities have been stockpiling chips for the production of high-precision missiles and began producing them in large quantities even before the invasion of Ukraine. On Friday, September 18, The New York Times reported, citing data from Janes, a defense intelligence company.
The company’s analysis suggests that Russia likely stockpiled chips and other technology needed to build precision-guided missiles ahead of the invasion, given Moscow’s strained relations with the West following its illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014.
The company’s analysis indicates that such microelectronic components are also used for civilian purposes and that Russia may have obtained them through third parties such as governments or private entities.
According to analysts, Russia probably started producing large numbers of Iskanders, Calibers and cruise missiles even before the invasion.
Former Marine Corps and White House arms strategist who now works at Mark Washington’s Center for Strategic and International Studies. F. Kansian said that few, if any, Western officials have a clear idea of the state of Russia’s arsenal or know how many missiles remain in Russian stockpiles.
But, he said, the Western military believes that Russia has long held a reserve of missiles and other weapons in the event of a war with NATO.
“Obviously they have a reserve in case of a mock NATO attack, which we think is absurd, but they see it as a real possibility. So they are holding part of their reserves for this,” he says.
It remains unclear whether Russia can rely on these reserves for the latest mass strike against Ukraine.
Recall that in mid-October, the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine announced that the Russian Federation has 124 missiles for Iskanders, 272 Caliber, 213 cruise missiles of the Kh-101 and Kh-555 types.
As reported, on November 17, the Russian Federation launched a missile with a simulated nuclear warhead over Ukraine. This may indicate that Russia’s stock of cruise missiles has been depleted to a critical level.
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Source: korrespondent
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.