Russia is using drones and missiles “from the factory” against Ukraine.

Russian forces are increasingly using drones and missiles in attacks on Ukraine soon after their production. This may indicate the absence of large stockpiles of such weapons.

This was reported by the adviser to the Minister of Defense of Ukraine and military electronics specialist Sergei Beskrestnov .

According to him, during one of the recent attacks on Kharkov, the Russians used a Shahed drone, manufactured in late May 2026.

“The production date can be used to indirectly assess the enemy’s weapons stockpiles,” the expert noted.

He explained that most Shahed-type attack drones used by Russia have production dates only 5-15 days before their launch. This suggests that the drones are effectively delivered to the front lines immediately after production.

Meanwhile, the situation with missile weapons is somewhat different. According to Beskrestnov, the Iskander 9M723 ballistic missiles, which Russia regularly uses against Ukraine, were manufactured in 2025. This, he believes, could indicate a stockpile of at least 180 to 250 such missiles.

Meanwhile, the Zircon missiles, which have recently been used for strikes, have a production date of 2026. Likewise, most Kh-101 cruise missiles are dated 2026, and the S-400 missiles for use against ground targets were also manufactured this year.

According to the expert, the X-59 missiles have slightly older production dates—primarily the third quarter of 2025.

Summarizing his analysis, Beskrestnov noted that the current rate of drone and missile production in Russia does not allow for the accumulation of significant weapons reserves, so most products are almost immediately sent to combat use.

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