Ukraine will be able to strike Russia with domestically produced ballistic missiles within three to six months. Former Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov believes the first such launch could take place by the end of the year. Asked about a possible return to government, he said that “we’ll see soon.”
Mykhailo Fedorov said this in an exclusive interview with CBS News.
Until now, Ukraine has relied mainly on cheap long-range drones and cruise missiles for strikes deep inside Russian territory. At the same time, these weapons are slower and easier to shoot down once detected.
Russia regularly uses ballistic missiles against Ukraine, which Ukrainian air defenses have so far struggled to intercept.
In June, Fire Point, one of Ukraine’s largest defense manufacturers, tested a ballistic missile. In theory, such a weapon would allow Ukraine to respond to Russia’s long-range strikes.
Fedorov said Ukraine’s ballistic missile program accelerated while he was serving as defense minister.
“We need to defeat Russia in every technological cycle, and we have to make decisions 24/7,” Fedorov said, adding that Russia is also rapidly adopting new technologies.
Before his dismissal last month, Fedorov was involved in shaping Ukraine’s strategy, which envisaged the active use of drones and robotic systems in the war against a numerically larger adversary.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy dismissed Fedorov in mid-July, citing an irresolvable conflict between him and then Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrskyi. The decision sparked protests involving thousands of people across the country.
About a week later, Zelenskyy also dismissed Syrskyi. Asked by CBS News why he believed he had been fired, Fedorov replied:
“I really don’t want to tell the American audience why. Whatever the reason, it is important to understand that Ukraine will continue to fight,” Fedorov stressed.
CBS News notes that Fedorov is credited with significantly increasing the number of Ukrainian long-range strikes on Russia and expanding the country’s domestic arsenal.
On August 15, Zelenskyy said Ukraine had struck a Russian space agency facility in Samara with new Ukrainian-made Flamingo missiles, about 560 miles from the Ukrainian border.
Fedorov also said that the protests following his dismissal showed Ukrainians’ support for democratic values.
“Soon we will see. But in any case, all my work will be aimed at ending the war and rebuilding Ukraine,” he said when asked about a possible return to government.
