Ukrainian deep strikes are putting heavy pressure on Russia's air defense system, CBS News reports
Photo: Russia's air defense forces are running out of S-300 missiles (mil.in.ua)
Why Russia is running short of missiles
According to the report, Ukrainian officials familiar with intelligence assessments say that Moscow is depleting its stockpiles of S-300 systems at an "unsustainable rate."
One of the main reasons is that Russian forces have repurposed these surface-to-air missiles for strikes against ground targets in Ukraine, effectively using them as surface-to-surface weapons.
In addition, Russia’s stockpiles are being drained by regular attacks from new Ukrainian long-range drones, including jet-powered models. Russia is forced to spend expensive interceptor missiles to counter these attacks instead of preserving them for defense against missile strikes.
The situation is further complicated by Ukraine’s targeted campaign against Russian air defense assets.
"In the last few months, Ukraine has destroyed or targeted a large number of air defense systems in the occupied areas — in Crimea, Luhansk, and elsewhere," explained Rob Lee, a Russian military expert at the Foreign Policy Research Institute.
Production challenges and other systems
Replacing depleted Soviet-era S-300 missiles is extremely difficult for Russia. Due to strict Western sanctions, Moscow is facing shortages of key imported components, including guidance seekers and control modules that were previously supplied by Western and Chinese manufacturers.
At the same time, the acting head of the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine warns that Russia still retains significant defense production capabilities.
According to acting intelligence chief Oleh Chornyi, Moscow is now focusing on the production of missiles for more modern air defense systems, such as the S-350, S-400, and Pantsir-S1.
Strikes on targets inside Russia
On the night of June 14, Ukraine’s Defense Forces carried out a large-scale drone attack on military and strategic facilities inside Russia. Among other targets, Ukrainian units struck an enemy command and observation post near Nekislitsa in Russia’s Bryansk region and eliminated a concentration of Russian troops near the settlement of Troyebortnoye.
In addition, Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) damaged a key Russian state oil reserve facility in the Yaroslavl region, more than 700 kilometers from the border.
In the same region, drones attacked the Spetstorg Plus oil depot in Rybinsk, forcing local authorities to close a highway leading toward Moscow. At the same time, the Azot chemical plant in Russia’s Tula region, which produces explosives for the Russian army, also came under attack.
