Zelenskyy sets timeline for Ukraine's ballistic missile program
Zelenskyy held a meeting on the creation of ballistics and anti-ballistic systems (Photo: Zelenskiy / Official)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he expects Ukraine to achieve key results in developing domestically produced ballistic missiles and anti-ballistic systems in 2026-2027, following a meeting on the country's missile programs.
"Developing our own ballistic missiles and creating a new anti-ballistic system is a challenge that only a handful of countries in the world have accomplished. Ukraine has that capability. Ukrainians possess the necessary scientific foundation and expertise. We can also state that our defense manufacturers have reached the required level," the president wrote on social media on Thursday, Aug. 6, following a meeting on ballistic missile development and the implementation of the Freyja anti-ballistic program.
Zelenskyy said the agencies involved briefed participants on current requirements and the progress already achieved. Officials also approved a timeline and assigned responsibility for parts of the programs that require acceleration.
According to the president, the effort involves the National Security and Defense Council, the prime minister, the Defense Ministry, the Foreign Intelligence Service, the Air Force Command, the Brave1 defense technology platform and Ukraine's most advanced defense industry teams.
Zelenskyy said the meeting also focused on access to critical components, additional technological cooperation with partners and the localization of production.
"Freyja is moving forward, and that is important. Europe needs a shared and truly large-scale capability to effectively defend against any ballistic threat. We support and expect additional partner countries capable of contributing to join the Anti-Ballistic Coalition," the president wrote.
He added that the meeting also covered cooperation with partners on PAC-2 and PAC-3 missiles.
"I expect the Foreign Ministry and the Defense Ministry to deliver results in their engagement with partners on issues that have already been identified and discussed repeatedly," Zelenskyy said.
Overnight on Aug. 5, Russia launched its third large-scale attack in a week on Kyiv and the surrounding region, firing four Zircon missiles, 24 Iskander-M/S-400 ballistic missiles and 115 drones. Ukraine's air defenses did not intercept any of the missiles.
Seventeen people were killed in Kyiv and the surrounding region, including eight who were waiting for a train at a railway station near Brovary. The attack also damaged facilities belonging to Nova Poshta, Rozetka, Silpo, Epicentr and other retail companies.
Freyja project
On July 13 in Paris, Zelenskyy announced plans to create a joint European anti-ballistic defense system, saying Ukraine was ready to contribute its own interceptor missile. The leaders of Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom agreed to establish an integrated anti-ballistic defense coalition together with Ukraine.
In April, Zelenskyy said Ukraine was exploring the possibility of developing an anti-ballistic system with European partners within the following year. On May 14, Fire Point co-founder and chief designer Denys Shtilerman announced that the company had joined the anti-ballistic coalition and unveiled the Freyja project, a pan-European integrated air and missile defense system focused on intercepting ballistic missiles and designed to integrate with other NATO Link-16-compatible air defense assets.
On May 25, Shtilerman said that, if development remained on schedule, Ukraine's lower-cost alternative to the Patriot system could begin intercepting enemy ballistic missiles by the end of the year. In an interview with the Financial Times, he also said tests of the FP-7.X missile had been "quite successful" and that, under optimal conditions, mass production could begin as early as August 2026.
On July 13, Fire Point unveiled the FP-7.X anti-ballistic interceptor missiles being developed for the Freyja system.
The military war may be swinging in our favor, but the information war continues.
Just as an army needs soldiers, so does a free society need its journalists to ensure that people have access to honest, trustworthy voices to understand the world around them.
For the past five years, The New Voice of Ukraine has been working tirelessly to push back against Russian narratives and defend democracy. But we cannot do it alone.
Please consider supporting us on Patreon for just $5 a month – your donation does directly to supporting journalists and ensuring that this front of the infowar says solid and defended.
Thank you.
Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Google News
