Russia Is Rapidly Depleting Its Air Defense Missile Stockpiles – Intelligence
Russia’s stockpiles of interceptor missiles for its S-300 air defense systems are declining significantly, and this trend is expected to intensify in 2026, according to intelligence reports. This could affect the Russian air defense system’s ability to maintain its previous pace of protecting strategic targets.
According to Ukrainian intelligence, in 2025, Russia had more than 400 RM-48U missiles for the S-300PM and S-400 air defense systems. Officials did not specify the current stockpile but confirmed that it would continue to decline.
There are several reasons for this. First, Russia has begun using the S-300 not only to defend its airspace but also to strike Ukrainian territory—reconfiguring them for “surface-to-surface” operations in addition to its “Iskander” and “Kinzhal” missiles. Second, Ukraine is forcing the enemy to expend expensive interceptors on new generations of drones—including jet-powered ones that are faster and have a longer range than previous models.
In addition to drone swarms, Kyiv is systematically destroying the air defense systems themselves. According to Rob Lee, an expert on the Russian armed forces at the Institute for Foreign Policy Research, Ukraine has struck or destroyed a large number of systems in the occupied territories in recent months: in Crimea, Luhansk Oblast, and Transnistria.
“Many Russian air defense missiles are being used up very quickly—at a virtually unsustainable rate—because Ukraine can produce more strike drones for deep strikes than Russia is, in some cases, capable of producing interceptor missiles,” Lee told CBS News reporters.
One Ukrainian official reported that Russia lacks key components for producing new interceptors—specifically, homing warheads and control modules. Despite attempts to obtain them from Chinese and Western manufacturers, sanctions pressure is significantly complicating this process.
At the same time, officials cautioned against excessive optimism: Russia still possesses more advanced and effective air defense systems. According to Oleg Chorny, acting head of the Main Intelligence Directorate, the production priority is precisely the latest systems designed to counter Ukrainian drones.
At the same time, Ukraine itself faces air defense challenges: Kyiv has repeatedly warned of a shortage of PAC-3 missiles for the Patriot system, which are currently the only reliable means of countering Russian ballistic missiles, CBS News reports.
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