Russia bets on ballistic missiles to combat the success of Ukraine’s drone warfare

Russia is retooling its war strategy around ballistic and cruise missiles, betting that a barrage on Ukraine's civilian infrastructure will succeed where the ground war has stalled. According to The Conversation, Ukrainian military intelligence says Moscow has restructured its defense production to prioritize long-range missiles, with reinforcements reportedly arriving from North Korea. The Conversation reports that only twenty-nine of one hundred ninety-five Russian ballistic missiles were intercepted in July, as Western allies, including the United States, struggle to replenish air defense stocks strained by the separate conflict with Iran. With winter approaching, the piece frames this as a race between Russia's missile onslaught and Ukraine's ability to shore up its air defenses.

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