Key facts
- Russia possesses approximately 50 Kinzhal air-launched ballistic missiles.
- Production of the Kinzhal missile was paused in April 2026.
- Ukraine's Military Intelligence (HUR) claims Russia has about 50 Kinzhal missiles.
- HUR also claims Russia has about 50 North Korean KN-23 series missiles.
- Leaked documents suggest each Kinzhal costs $4.5 million to produce.
- Russia planned to produce 144 Kinzhal units in 2025.
Russia still possesses approximately 50 Kinzhal hypersonic missiles, despite having paused production to improve their accuracy, according to Ukraine's Military Intelligence (HUR). The Kinzhal, a modified Iskander ballistic missile launched from MiG-31K jets, has been frequently used against Ukraine during the full-scale war.
HUR stated that as of July 2026, Russia has about 50 Kinzhal missiles and around 50 North Korean KN-23 series missiles, along with KN-24 and KN-30 variants. Leaked Russian documents obtained by Militarnyi indicated that each Kinzhal costs approximately $4.5 million to produce and that Russia had planned to manufacture 144 units in 2025.
Production of the Kinzhal has been suspended since April 2026, reportedly due to Ukrainian jamming and GPS spoofing negatively affecting the munition's accuracy. One Ukrainian electronic warfare unit commander noted that out of 59 launched Kinzhals, only one was successful due to their electronic warfare measures. HUR also claims that Russia has redirected resources from Kinzhal production to other missile types to maintain necessary production rates for ongoing use against Ukraine.